Allegations...

Via Liliana at Harper's Bazaar, the United States government is adding a new tool to its counterfeit-fighting repertoire - e-Allegations. By submitting an online form or by calling 1-800-BE-ALERT, a person with knowledge of counterfeit activities can alert U.S. Customs of the shadowy activities.

e-Allegations operates as something of a catch-all, its nets cast broadly for other trade, health and safety violations in addition to intellectual property crime. Given the level of organized crime involved in counterfeiting, the site offers a nice anonymity options for online submissions. Unfortunately, the heavy disclaimer (including an explicit warning of government monitoring of traffic and submissions) may well dampen the anonymity effectiveness. Check it out if you have the chance (or, if you know of some counterfeiters).