In an effort to curb the sale of counterfeit ink bottles and to protect the rights of its customers, Epson conducted a series of raids this year in Mumbai, where operatives have generated information about fixers involved in filling, bottling, packaging and distributing counterfeit EPSON ink in the city and in many parts of India. In an effort to send a strong message of zero tolerance towards the sale of fake cartridges, the police in different parts of the country have stepped up their cooperation and efforts to arrest and terminate such practices.
On the basis of the information shared by Epson vigilance team, the Mumbai police raided the premises of a dealer in Wadala East, Mumbai in a swift and well-coordinated action on 31st May. The dealer was involved in the manufacture and supply of counterfeit Epson Ink bottles in Mumbai and to other parts of the country. The manufacturer of the Epson counterfeit Ink bottles, Narayan, was arrested on the spot and charged under the prevailing laws of the land with counterfeiting and violating intellectual property rights and was subsequently remanded to judicial custody. About 560 packed Ink bottles with the mark “EPSON” were seized along with other printing material and machines used by this business for making counterfeit EPSON ink bottles.
A spokesperson at Seiko Epson Corporation said “The Mumbai police deserves accolades for successfully conducting the counterfeit raid and limiting the damages to a bare minimum. They have supported Epson consistently in curbing this issue that we feel strongly about. He went on to say, “We at Epson take great pride in our strict practice of following laws and regulations. Maintaining high standards of corporate ethics while encouraging everyone to respect the rights is the paramount objective at Epson. We will continue to take stringent measures against those that inappropriately use Epson’s patented technology.”
Seiko Epson Corporation will continue to back the enforcement authorities for such raids in future. This is to further safeguard its interests and to defend the business of its authorised dealers. This practice will also act as a constraint to the manufacturers and dealers that engage in this offence.
