A court in Delhi has ordered an investigation into “unknown persons” on HP’s behalf.
Financial Express reported on the Delhi court’s decision to order an FIR (First Information Report) into a number of “unknown persons” for “allegedly cheating” HP through trademark infringement, selling “spurious” counterfeit cartridges in New Delhi.
The case follows a similar report last week from India, this time in Hinjewadi, with both a company – R.B. Stationers – and its owner, Sanjay Bhanudas Komple, arrested following the discovery of duplicated printers and toner cartridges being sold under HP’s name. In the Delhi case, the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Delhi’s police force has set to investigate the criminal case.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Veena Rani ordered both the FIR and the investigation to begin, stating that “in this case the complainant (HP) has specifically averred that some unknown persons/firms companies are indulging in the manufacturing and selling of similar and identical spurious toner cartridges, inkjet cartridges, printing inks, toners under the trademark ‘HP’ (logo) and ‘Hewlett Packard’ in the area of Nehru Place, New Delhi without authorisation of the complainant company”.
Additionally, the accused have “also been using the name and address of the complainant company”, which has in turn caused “severe losses to the complainant company both in terms of money as well as in terms of reputation”. HP had filed this complaint as a consequence of other law enforcement agencies “not taking any action” in January when it was made.