Seizures of counterfeit printing cartridges highlight criminal activity to defraud businesses, consumers and damage brand reputations.
An HP European anti-counterfeit expert has embarked on a multinational tour of the EMEA region to address the stepped-up battle against fraudulent printing supplies.
Tina Rose, Anti-Counterfeit Manager for EMEA, was in Dubai, speaking to journalists from the Middle East, the first of a four-country tour that will also take her to the Poland, Kenya and Morocco.
While counterfeit printing cartridges for HP’s LaserJet and Inkjet printers is a global issue, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa are areas where organized counterfeit activity is especially rampant.
“Counterfeiters and fraudulent traders frequently deceive customers into thinking they are buying genuine goods, with print cartridges either packed in copies of original HP boxes or in reused original HP boxes,” Tina Rose will say during her tour. “Buyers of counterfeit print cartridges run several risks, ranging from substandard print quality to printer downtime due to damage by inferior counterfeit supplies.”
HP routinely cooperates with law-enforcement authorities across the region to identify and destroy fake printing supplies. Since late 2008, local authorities in Africa have seized 150,681 counterfeits and components for illegal re-use in Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. In addition, the authorities closed the premises which the counterfeiters had used to manufacture and distribute fake products.
Since late 2006, HP has followed up almost 900 substantial leads on suspicious products all over EMEA, leading in almost 470 full investigations and around 250 raids in which around 3.5 million finished fake products and components intended for illegal reuse were seized.
Globally, from 2005-2008, HP conducted 4,620 investigations in 55 countries resulting in 3,528 enforcement actions (raids and seizures by authorities) seizing a total value of more than $795 million USD worth of counterfeit HP supplies products. (Investigations and actions have occurred on every continent except Antarctica.)
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates the annual value of international trade in counterfeit goods at $200 billion. The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) believe that counterfeiting drains an estimated EUR 500 billion per year from the global economy, equivalent to the loss of about 5-8% of trade in brand-name goods worldwide, including the illegal trade in fake printing supplies. It is estimated that around 200,000 jobs are lost in Europe alone due to counterfeiting activities.
Hewlett Packard Middle East elevates its response to counterfeits in Dubai
Hewlett Packard Dubai is partnering with local authorities to battle counterfeit inks in Uganda. The company’s top official visited the region in a two day conference to underline its commitment to regional authorities and business partners in the fight against fake merchandise and the cost losses especially for SMBs. Dubai is a prime destination for a large percentage of counterfeit goods including medicines.
Many studies indicate that often SMBs in Dubai are tempted to save costs by sourcing cheaper goods, which contributes to the $200 billion in annual global trade of counterfeit merchandise. The allure of imitation goods, especially now with the global economic downturn, is seductive.
Tina Rose, Anti-counterfeit Manager for EMEA, from HP said “Perhaps purchasers think that fake merchandise enables them to save money without sacrificing quality. They’re wrong because ?fake printing merchandise frequently leaks or doesn’t work properly and often fails so therefore doesn’t save money. Copyc