Growing counterfeiting causes concern for HP

Dubai: The growing number of fake printing cartridges and supplies in the Middle East is posing a major concern for technology firm Hewlett Packard (HP) which plans to step up its fight against counterfeits, a top official said.

"The Middle East is an important trade gateway and therefore a target of counterfeit traffickers. However, there has been noteworthy success in disrupting counterfeiting. Recently, UAE authorities seized over 300,000 finished counterfeit print cartridges and components for illegal reuse, in their largest raid of fake printing supplies for HP printers ever," Tina Rose, Anti-counterfeit Programme Manager for HP, told Gulf News.

She said last year HP Middle East's efforts to protect its customers from counterfeits in the region resulted in one of the largest seizures of counterfeit print cartridges and components in the Middle East conducted by Dubai Police, which seized Dh70 million worth of counterfeit toner cartridges, inks and counterfeit components. In collaboration with law enforcement agencies, HP was involved in the successful confiscation of over 800,000 counterfeit printer cartridges and components from illegal operations in the Middle East in the first quarter of 2009 alone.

"Due to our stringent and dedicated efforts to combat the trade in previous years, we are hoping that 2010 will show some progress. In saying that, the region's illegal counterfeit and piracy rings are growing at a steady pace, and what we hope to achieve is solid communication to the consumer, so that it becomes their choice to avoid the purchase of these products and that they are equipped to distinguish between genuine and fake goods. Equipping the consumer with these tools and information encourages the best informed decisions as well as the spread of information through word of mouth," Tina said.

She said it is essential that measures are taken first and foremost with the consumer; to educate them on the dangers and differences in quality when it comes to counterfeit products, as well as the associated health and safety risks. In addition to this, information campaigns will also focus on people's inherent sense of personal responsibility.

Impacts

"The economic and social ills associated with the counterfeit trade are endless. Firstly, there are no health or safety controls when manufacturing these products, making them a very real threat to the consumer. Secondly, this illegal trade has a massive socio-economic impact on any society, as for every person employed in it, one of us has to sacrifice our legitimate employment. People who support this trade are literally financing a cause that could leave one of their loved ones unemployed. It's believed that counterfeiting drains an estimated 500 billion euros (Dh2.5 trillion) per year from the global economy," she said.