Authorities Seize 19,100 Counterfeit Printer Toner Cartridges in Saudi Arabia

The war on counterfeit printer consumables continues around the world, with Arab News reporting that authorities seized some 19,100 counterfeit printer toner cartridges worth $346,000 (SR1.3 million) this week from a warehouse in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and arrested the owner of a shop. Note that while third-party, OEM-alternative cartridges aren’t advertised to deceive – they bear the name of the third-party, not name of the OEM such as HP or Lexmark – counterfeit cartridges falsely bear the name of the OEM and are falsely advertised as being manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

This week, the field inspection team for the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MCI) is said to have found the counterfeit toner cartridges, which were ready for sale, during a raid on a large warehouse, which has since been shut down.

The products included cartons of counterfeit toner for well-known printer brands, cartridges ready for sale, packaging bags, rings for closing the cartridges, and stickers and other materials describing the products.

The shop owner was arrested pending further investigations, and is set to be referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.

Arab News also reports that, in a previous raid in the Al-Mursalat area in the north of Riyadh, MCI inspectors seized more than 38,000 counterfeit phone chargers, speakers, and batteries for brands such as Apple, Samsung, and LG.

The MCI stressed that its inspection tours “will continue, targeting markets, warehouses, shops and commercial establishments” and called on consumers to report suspected counterfeit goods.

More Resources

• December 2016: Xerox Warns Users to Beware of Fake, Clone Toner Cartridges
• November 2016: Epson Raids Two Ink-Cartridge Counterfeiters in India
• October 2016: Epson Seizes Counterfeit Ink Cartridges in Nevada
• December 2015: 2,000 Counterfeit HP-Brand Cartridges Seized in the U.K.
• September 2015: To Combat Counterfeiting, Xerox Launches Printed Memory Products
• August 2014: Authorities Seize 35,000 Counterfeit Printer Ink Cartridges in Saudi Arabia
• September 2013: Counterfeit Toner and Ink Cartridges Worth Millions of Dollars Seized in Italy and Russia
• May 2013: Xerox Raids Result in Seizure of 55,000 Boxes of Counterfeit Consumables