Sharp Electronics recently concluded a two-and-a-half year anti-counterfeiting initiative that spanned from the United States to the Far East.
In 2002, Sharp initiated lawsuits in Texas, New York, and New Jersey against distributors and dealers who sold counterfeit consumables used for certain types of Sharp fax and multifunctional machines. These consumables were packaged in a counterfeit copy of the Sharp packaging and illegally used the SHARP trademark for models UX-15CR and UX-3CR.
Sharp seized approximately 50,000 units of counterfeit consumables, according to the company. Sharp traced the counterfeit consumables seized in the United States to Singapore and successfully pursued legal action against multiple defendants in the High Court of Singapore. The defendants in Singapore recently settled with Sharp Corp. by paying a settlement fee and agreeing to an injunction to refrain from infringing the SHARP trademarks and passing off or assisting others to pass off goods that are not original Sharp products.
“The supply business is the profit lifeline in the document products business,” said Stewart Mitchell, senior vice president and general manager of Sharp’s Information Systems Group. “The outcome of every branch of this case sends a message that Sharp will take all necessary steps to protect its brand, business, and customers.”
Distributors, dealers and retailers who carry SHARP consumables and want to confirm their authenticity are encouraged by Sharp to contact the Imaging Supplies Coalition at 609-967-3222 or visit at www.isc-inc.org.
