Whether intended or not, products imported to the United States that fail to comply with all rules and regulations, experience dire consequences. The recent federal raid of Gibson Guitar Corporation proves that the compliance procedure should not be taken lightly. On August 24th, federal agents raided the guitar company’s factory and seized guitars, wood, and electronic records. Agents explained the raid was due to illegal ebony and rosewood being imported from India. Indian law states that unfinished goods of this type of wood cannot be exported; only finished goods are permitted for export. Due to the amendment of the Lacey Act in 2008 which prohibits the purchase of products exported in violation of a foreign country's laws, Gibson Guitars is held liable.

Even though the company utilizes a broker to aid their import process of wood, the legal responsibility rests on the importer. Zepol’s ComplianceMonitor™ tool was created to assist in ensuring import compliance for importers as well as brokers. The tool proactively alerts users when critical compliance information changes for the products they import, thereby saving valuable time and potential severe penalties.