Bad news for genuine manufacturers, counterfeits are even worse news for users

DUBAI 29th June 2010. HP Middle East has announced an increased focus on combating counterfeit printing supplies in the Middle East. The keynote session was presented by HP Middle East IPG General Manager, Mr Amin Mortazavi.  'Countering the counterfeiters', the anti-counterfeit whitepaper presentation gave background to the scale of the counterfeit problem in the region.

Counterfeiting in printing supplies is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar trade worldwide, with organised crime syndicates often behind the illegal manufacture, distribution and sale of printer cartridges. Mr Mortazavi said that in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions alone, a total of 2,529,984 counterfeit printing supplies were seized from November 1st 2008 through January 31st, 2010.

Counterfeit printing supplies do not give the same high-quality printing normally expected with a genuine HP product, and it is well known that counterfeit products can cause serious damage to the printer, often invalidating the warranty as well.

"I believe that as anti-counterfeit awareness increases, the counterfeit business will go down - we are on the right track" Mr Mortazavi says.

Anti Counterfeit Whitepaper - Highlights

HP knows all too well the nefarious consequences of imitation goods. As the world's largest provider of printing and digital imaging equipment and supplies, HP is particularly susceptible to the estimated eight percent counterfeit rate in the nearly €30 billion market for printing consumables in Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA).

More than two-thirds of purchasers surveyed (70%) indicated that a health risk was sufficient incentive to eschew fakes, as is the prospect of wasting money (54%), inferior service (54%) and harm to personal property (59%). Brand guardians may also be comforted to know that there's a significant moral deterrent as well: 79% of UK consumers, for example, would not buy counterfeits if they knew they were helping to finance criminal activities.

In a world in which sometimes what you see isn't necessarily what you get, this is compelling evidence all too real to ignore.

-Ends-

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