Police, Hewlett-Packard mark victory against counterfeiting

Nigeria Police Force (NPF), with the support of Hewlett Packard’s (HP) anti-counterfeit and fraud team, has successfully halted three major counterfeiting operations on illegal HP print cartridges in Nigeria, HP has disclosed.

“Counterfeiting is an illegal activity that not only impacts the business of resellers and distributors negatively but also affects 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,” said Country Head, HP Nigeria, Emmanuel Asika, in a statement.

“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 illegal sale of fraudulent HP products,” he said.

A recent study by the Organisation for European Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) said international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods represents up to 3.3 per cent of world trade or as much as $509 billion.

In the European Union (EU), counterfeit and pirated goods amount to about 6.8 per cent of imports or as much as €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 government.