Nigerian authorities, with the support of technology company HP’s Anti-Counterfeit and Fraud team, have announced that they successfully halted three major counterfeiting operations trading illegal HP print cartridges in the Nigerian market.
According to a statement, Nigerian authorities conducted three major raids on several large-scale counterfeiting premises in the Nasarawa state and the Abuja area.
The resulting seizures saw officials confiscate over 5,000 illicit items from various commercial sites, preventing their unlawful sale within Nigeria.
Emmanuel Asika, Country Head, HP Nigeria said, “Counterfeiting is an illegal activity that not only negatively impacts the business of resellers and distributors, but also affects the product experience for our customers. HP Original ink supplies have been developed to consistently deliver high quality results while ensuring minimal impact on the environment.”
“We value our longstanding partnership with the Nigerian authorities and the exceptional success of our Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud Programme in safeguarding our customers from the illegal sale of fraudulent HP products,” added Asika.
Counterfeiting is not only an illegal activity, but it also negatively impacts the businesses of both resellers and distributors.
A recent study by the Organisation for European Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) shows that international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods represents up to 3.3% of world trade, or as much as USD $509 billion.
In the European Union (EU), counterfeit and pirated goods amount to up to 6.8% of imports or as much as EUR €121 billion. The report also notes that counterfeiting causes companies to lose revenue, leading to direct and indirect job losses, in addition to lost revenue for the government.
Although counterfeit cartridges may genuine, they do not provide the high print quality, reliability, and yields that customers have come to expect from original products such as those provided by HP.
Instead, using counterfeit cartridges can entail significant risks. These risks can include cartridges which fail prematurely or do not work at all, and even damaged printers due to ink or toner leakages.
Due to their often-poor print quality and necessary re-prints, counterfeits are likely to waste valuable resources such as paper or energy. At the end of life, it is unlikely that counterfeit cartridges are recycled.
By comparison more than 875 million Original HP Ink and Toner Cartridges have been recycled by customers with HP Planet Partners, and more than 4.7 billion recycled plastic bottles have been used by HP to manufacture new Original HP Ink Cartridges.
