Xerox huts down Counterfeit and Isllegal aftermarket supply operations

The creation and sale of counterfeit and illegal aftermarket printer supplies continues to be a problem. In fact, The Imaging Supplies Coalition estimates about $3.5 billion are lost to counterfeit products worldwide in the imaging supplies industry. In response, Xerox has conducted a string of raids, product seizures and trademark enforcement actions to protect customers from the hazards of counterfeit supplies.

Xerox closely monitors the ordering and distribution of its genuine supplies and works with governmental authorities to stop the sale of counterfeits. Recent counterfeit prevention efforts include:

• The confiscation of materials to produce thousands of fake Xerox cartridges at a factory in Morocco owned and operated by an importer/distributor. With a street value estimated to exceed $2.5 million, the owner of the factory is in jail awaiting charges.

• The seizure of hundreds of counterfeit Xerox toners, and thousands of cartridges and boxes from a copier/printer dealer in Mumbai, India, totaling nearly $25,000. Criminal prosecution of the company’s owner is ongoing.

• Two raids in the Antaly a region of Turkey. Authorities confiscated fake Xerox and other OEM products along with counterfeiting paraphernalia such as printing plates, labels, and packaging materials with an estimated value of $1.2 million dollars. Another operation was shut down that mixed counterfeit toner cartridges with genuine Xerox toner cartridges in a supplier’s warehouse, which were then sold to retailers in southern Turkey.

In addition to thwarting counterfeit activities, Xerox also identifies dealers who sell illegal aftermarket cartridges – products that use the original equipment manufacturers’ trademarks – and takes aggressive action to halt their illegal trade. By defending IP rights, Xerox is eliminating product misrepresentation to end-customers. Most recently:

• Enforcement of Xerox’s trademark rights in Romania and other developing market countries against resellers, resulting in the removal of infringing products and agreement to instead sell Xerox Genuine Supplies.

“Fake cartridges are known to fail at a very high rate, causing poor image quality and costly damage to vital printer components,” said Kevin Weaver, vice president, Brand Protection Group, Xerox Supplies Business Group. “While this will remain a very active and aggressive field of play, we will continue to fight back to protect our customers and stop the spread of counterfeit and illegal aftermarket supplies.”

Around the world, Xerox protects customers by auditing supplies inventories at distribution sites to validate authenticity and to eradicate counterfeit supplies from the global supply chain.