HP Applauds Illegal Printer Ink Cartridge Crackdown

Printer ink cartridges maker Hewlett Packard (HP) has welcomed efforts to clamp down on the production of illegal ink cartridges.

According to the Manilla Bulletin Publishing Corporation, seven people have been arrested as a result of a joint operation between the PNP-NCR Crime Detection Unit, based in Manilla and HP's Southeast Asia Anti-Counterfeiting (ACF) group.

Among a haul of counterfeit gear, some 632 finished and 1,172 unfinished printer inks and 50 finished and 121 unfinished toner cartridges were found by the authorities in a sweep of locations across Paranaque and Makati.

All production of counterfeit printer ink cartridges was halted as a result of the operation. It also emerged that, based on documents found at the sites, around 1,500 illegal toners and 4,000 ink cartridges were being made in Metro Manila every month.

HP welcomed the move.

"We warn consumers about the proliferation of fake HP inks and toners in the market. These imitations may cause your printers to fail and yield inferior print outs," Jeff Kwasny, director of HP Brand Protection, told the news provider.

"We salute the PNP and the Southeast Asia Anti-Counterfeiting group for spearheading the crackdown of these illegal businesses."

Posted by Johnny McMaster