ICCE Goes to the UAE - the Beginnings of a Long Term Strategy to Fight Counterfeit in the Freezones
The Imaging Consumables Coalition of Europe (ICCE), the anti-counterfeit coalition in the imaging consumables industry whose goal is to combat counterfeit imaging consumables in EMEA.
Counterfeit imaging products have captured a 7 per cent share in the USD 39.5 billion EMEA imaging consumables market however, the percentage of counterfeits in the Middle East region is much higher. As a consequence, The ICCE organized the first imaging supplies industry specific training of enforcement authorities in the UAE.
An ICCE spokesman commented, “ The dialogue was immensely positive and the foundations of a continuous focus on counterfeit imaging supplies were put into place. The UAE Authorities showed total commitment to fighting this illegal trade”.
The anti-counterfeit workshops ran from March 11-15, 2007 at several venues and were attended by local authorities from the police, free zones, ports and customs. Each department was devoted one day starting with the Dubai Police at the Dubai Police Academy. This was followed by Sharjah Customs at Millennium Hotel-Sharjah, Jebel Ali authorities comprising Dubai Customs, DP World and Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel. During the workshops, the OEM’s gave audio-visual presentations and showed actual samples of counterfeit and original products providing checking devices to assist authorities to determine whether goods are original or imitations.
“Brother Gulf as one of the participating members in the workshops, has growing concerns about the piracy of our imaging solutions and the damage it causes to our customers and to the credibility of our brand. As a global leader, we aim to generate customers for life and keep them satisfied with our products and maintain our image in a highly competitive market. Counterfeit products compromise our stringent quality standards and at the same time cheat the consumer of our high-quality solutions," said Yoshihisa Tsuji, Managing Director, Brother Gulf. "The decision to join ICCE here in the Middle East is part of our global stance to combat counterfeit products as evidenced by the previous membership of Brother Europe in ICCE. Brother Gulf, together with the Coalition’s members, will combat piracy in line with ICCE’s zero tolerance for counterfeit imaging solutions.”
“Counterfeit products violate a manufacturer's intellectual property rights, potentially posing health risks for consumers. For instance, fake inks and toners which are not manufactured to high quality standards can be toxic and dangerous. With the global counterfeit trade estimated at USD 400 billion, this crime has very serious implications," said Jagdeep Gill, Director, ICCE. "ICCE and its members shall not cease fighting counterfeit imaging solutions. Conducting workshops on counterfeit detection is one of the initiatives we are undertaking in cooperation with governments across EMEA to attain our goals.”
Founded in 1997, ICCE has since fought the production of counterfeit inkjet, fax/printer/copier toner cartridges and ribbons. It has lobbied and collaborated with national governments and authorities to enhance the enforcement of anti-counterfeit laws and strengthen sanctions against counterfeiting. Aside from awareness workshops, The ICCE works with the World Customs Organization through the secure Customs Enforcement Network Intranet Site and Validate!, a confidential service that allows consumers and channels to verify the authenticity of goods. At present, ICCE is composed of nine imaging consumables manufacturers including Brother.*