Fuji Xerox seize $2m of counterfeit goods
Fuji Xerox seize $2m of counterfeit goods
The assistance of an Australian covert operator has helped imaging vendor Fuji Xerox Australia seize $2 million of counterfeit toner products in Hong Kong.
The seizure, involving customs and excise officials from multiple countries, resulted from the investigative work of an Australian covert operator retained by Fuji Xerox Australia to seek out and expose counterfeiters operating in Asia.
The Hong Kong businessman that was supplying the counterfeit goods is now facing a hefty fine and a jail term. As well as these criminal proceedings, he will also face a simultaneous civil prosecution brought by Xerox Corporation in Hong Kong.
"Xerox Corporation and Fuji Xerox, based in Japan, approached us in Australia for assistance to locate and bring to justice the counterfeiters operating in Hong Kong. We recruited a covert operative who was responsible for this seizure," said Phil Chambers, managing director of Fuji Xerox Australia. "The counterfeiting of toner cartridges is a problem that faces the entire printing industry and something all manufacturers must be vigilant in fighting to help protect the ultimate victim - the customer who is paying for an original product but receiving a sub-standard fake."
This particular counterfeit toner has not been found in Australia yet, but Fuji Xerox is advising consumers to be on the alert when buying cartridges from aftermarket suppliers.
The counterfeit toner was identified after shipments of the product caused damage to Tektronix Phaser 780 printers in North America. Illegally branded with Xerox and Fuji Xerox trademarks, the products appear identical to genuine toner cartridges. However, the counterfeit toner cartridges deliver poor equipment performance and inferior print quality, are prone to leakage and high failure rates and, in the case of this specific batch, they have the potential to damage equipment in which they are used.
"Over the last year, Fuji Xerox and Xerox has been involved in three key raids that have seized in excess of $15 million worth of counterfeit product," said Ramsay Moodie, director of corporate affairs of Fuji Xerox Australia. "These latest seizures underscore the efforts we take, on a worldwide basis, to protect our customers from counterfeiters."
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