July 2025

ICCE ACTS AGAINST COUNTERFEITS TRADED ONLINE, WORKING WITH AMAZON

ICCE acts against counterfeit imaging supplies traded online, working with major stakeholders and stores such as Amazon (illustrative picture).

Many consumers turn to online stores to purchase their imaging supplies, often unaware that counterfeiters might exploit these platforms too, peddling illegal products. To protect consumers and online retailers, ICCE is actively combating the trade in counterfeit imaging supplies on the web. ICCE members work with major online stores to ensure a safe shopping experience. A key element of this is the collaboration with Amazon, combining the mutual expertise to enhance brand protection and safeguard shoppers. Recently, Amazon and ICCE met in London to further strengthen this close collaboration.

Buying printing supplies online has become commonplace, and many customers appreciate the convenience that shopping on the internet offers. However, just like offline purchases, online shopping also carries with it the risk of falling victim to counterfeiting. ICCE is working to protect online shoppers and encourages them to remain vigilant. To this end, ICCE and its members continually work with online stores, e‑commerce marketplaces, and social media networks across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

ICCE’s brand protection experts offer online platforms unique knowledge and expert insight. They help major online players and intermediaries to detect infringing listings and potential offers of counterfeit products. And they regularly initiate the removal of thousands of IP‑infringing online offers. These actions by ICCE and its cooperation partners aim to ensure that consumers can buy original, brand‑name printing supplies products on the web with peace of mind.

ICCE Closely Works With Amazon to Protect Online Shoppers

As part of ICCE’s work against counterfeit printing supplies, the association and its members take pride in the continued close collaboration with Amazon. As an industry leader, Amazon is taking strong action against counterfeiting. In 2024, the company invested more than a billion dollars and employed thousands of people dedicated to protecting customers, brands, selling partners, and its store.

ICCE regularly provides Amazon with in‑depth industry knowledge that is essential in the fight against counterfeit imaging supplies, such as toner cartridges and ink cartridges. For Amazon, this industry expertise is seldom matched, and it provides valuable and unique insight into counterfeiting in the imaging supplies industry. Ultimately, this significantly enhances Amazon’s ability to detect and prevent counterfeiting in this product category in its stores.

“ICCE, an industry association of some of the world’s leading imaging and printing companies, is committed to protecting consumers and businesses from counterfeit imaging supplies, such as toner and ink cartridges. That is why we appreciate the close cooperation with Amazon so much. Together, we can remove counterfeit goods, protect online shoppers, and help buyers to purchase original printing supplies with confidence. ICCE and our members look forward to continuing our initiatives with Amazon in 2025.”
GLOBAL BRAND PROTECTION MANAGER, LEXMARK, speaking on behalf of ICCE
in the recent Amazon Brand Protection Report, published March 2025.

At the same time, ICCE has worked with Amazon on a number of notable brand protection actions. In one case, an ICCE member and Amazon worked together to take legal action against a major counterfeiting organisation in Germany. In parallel, ICCE supports various Amazon anti‑counterfeiting initiatives, and ICCE amplifies their message, for example, when it comes to Amazon’s efforts to stop fake reviews.

Spotlight on best practice examples: Find out how ICCE and Amazon work together to combat counterfeiting. In this case study, Amazon’s Global Director of Customer Trust External Relations, Katharine Lister, also explains why cooperating with ICCE is so important to Amazon. Click on the button to open the ICCE case study with Amazon as a pdf.

Download Case Study

ICCE, Amazon Meet and Discuss Ways to Further Strengthen Cooperation

In a recent face‑to‑face meeting at Amazon’s offices in London, UK, several ICCE members and Amazon representatives had the great opportunity to sit together and share experiences and insights. The meeting in late 2024 helped to develop new strategies and activities to further protect consumers and selling partners from counterfeit imaging supplies.

Amazon and ICCE remain committed to fighting counterfeiting and to working together. The collaborative work between Amazon and ICCE demonstrates the importance of staying connected to effectively combat counterfeiting and protect consumers.

Shoppers Can Avoid Suspicious Offers

Whether offline or online, ICCE generally recommends that consumers exercise caution when purchasing genuine branded imaging consumables. For example, ICCE highlights that consumers and businesses should only buy from trusted vendors, such as authorised resellers. In addition, shoppers should be wary of important red flags when buying brand‑name printing supplies online, as detailed in ICCE’s Information for Online Shoppers and Markets.

About ICCE

The Imaging Consumables Coalition of Europe, Middle East, and Africa (ICCE) was formed in 1997 as a direct response to the increase in counterfeit imaging consumables across the regions of Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Imaging consumables include such products as toners, ink cartridges and ribbons. Initially created as an industry association with a focus on education, lobbying, information exchange, and awareness, it has since developed to include coordinating the role of receiving and processing intelligence information on counterfeiters, initiating joint industry raids and enforcement activities, and helping its members to target counterfeiters through the criminal and civil courts. Members of the organisation include some of the world’s leading imaging and printing companies: Brother, Canon, Epson, HP Inc, Kyocera, Lexmark, Ricoh, and Xerox.