October 2022

ICCE Counters Fakes with New Law Enforcement Trainings

Law enforcement authorities from numerous countries joined recent training sessions where ICCE members participated (illustrative picture, showing police car)

ICCE members, national law enforcement and customs authorities are co-operating to drive illegal trade schemes and fraudulent sellers out of the market. Joint training sessions have enabled both brand owners and law enforcement agencies to learn how to tackle counterfeiting more effectively – while safeguarding honest businesses and unsuspecting consumers. These educational initiatives illustrate how ICCE will continue in its efforts to help protect intellectual property (IP) rights, taking decisive action against the counterfeiting of imaging consumables such as toner cartridges, ink cartridges, and printer ribbons.

Identifying trademark infringing products and stopping the manufacturing of counterfeit imaging supplies is key to law enforcement’s efforts to curb sales of fake goods. ICCE and its members are proud to support customs and law enforcement representatives with dedicated resources, targeting information and product identification tools to simplify their work. Regular training sessions provide important details about ICCE members’ IP rights and the latest developments in trade practices that counterfeiters employ to cheat honest traders and consumers. This guidance helps ICCE and law enforcement authorities stay one step ahead of counterfeiters.

“The ICCE members are very grateful to officials for our close and successful cooperation and for their committed work against counterfeiting. And we want to thank all representatives of law enforcement agencies who attended one of the dozens of new training sessions that took place in recent months across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.”
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DIRECTOR AT CANON

New Training Sessions Equip Customs to Fight Fake Imaging Consumables

In March and April 2022, more than 80 members of Italian customs from five distinct regions joined ICCE representatives for a series of dedicated anti-counterfeiting workshops. During these events, ICCE reps shared intelligence on imaging consumables counterfeiting, as well as details on paths‑to‑market and product identifiers, to aid the customs officers in their enforcement activities. Many of the law enforcement officials highlighted the benefits from these types of training sessions, helping them to identify and stop the trade in fake printing consumables.

ICCE member Canon showcases hands-on samples during an in-person training event in the UK in 2022 (picture courtesy of Canon)

In addition to the workshops held in Italy, another twenty law enforcement training events took place, online and in-person, across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in the first half of 2022. Local authorities that joined received the latest information for identifying potential fake imaging consumables, as well as details on genuine shipping routes and practices used by ICCE member companies.

ICCE and Law Enforcement Stay Ahead of Counterfeiters Thanks to Close Cooperation

ICCE members have been committed to the fight against counterfeit printer consumables for more than twenty years. The organisation has supported many events for law enforcement representatives, including training sessions in countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Thanks to the close cooperation of individual member brands within the ICCE association, it is possible to conduct highly effective training initiatives, combining insights from renowned printer OEM brands and enhancing outreach to participating officials.

In addition to dedicated training events and webinars, ICCE also offers hands-on guidance and information, tailored to the daily work of customs and law enforcement officials. Learn more about how ICCE works hand-in-hand with law enforcement, contact us, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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.