Epson conducts raids on sham ink manufacturing units

In an effort to curb the sale of counterfeit ink bottles and to protect the rights of its customers, Epson has recently increased its vigilance and action against manufacturers and dealers of counterfeit Epson Ink bottles.

On the basis of the Epson vigilance team’s information, raid was done by the crime branch on the 29th of March in Mumbai based on information of a big scam involving filling, bottling, packaging and distributing of counterfeit Epson ink in Mumbai and to other parts of India. This business was owned by Ganajibhai Hatiyani who was operating the bottling unit from a shop in Kandivali (W), Mumbai. The owner of the business, has been declared absconding and the Police has arrested one of the employees, Rahul Kumar Lodhi. The Police is on the trail of the owner and arrests are expected soon. During the surprise raid the police seized 120 litres of coloured and black ink, 40,000 glossy papers, a large quantity of packed and empty Epson ink bottles with Epson Trademark on it, packing boxes, Epson bar code stickers and logos.

Earlier to this, the Mumbai police raided the premises of a dealer in Jogeshwari in a swift and well-co-ordinated action on 5th March. This dealer was involved in the manufacture and supply of counterfeit Epson Ink bottles in Mumbai and to other parts of the country. The manufacturer of the Epson counterfeit Ink bottles, Mauji Kamji Ora, was arrested and charged under the prevailing laws of the land with counterfeiting and violating intellectual property rights and subsequently remanded to judicial custody. About 1000 packs of refilled ink bottles were seized along with other equipment, duplicate logos and stickers. The unit was shuttered.

The raids this year follow a 2015 year end raid in the Fountain area of Mumbai, where a well-established counterfeit manufacturer, running a massive illegal ink bottle racket catering to large parts of west and central India, was terminated and arrested. In an effort to send a strong message of zero tolerance towards the sale of fake cartridges the police in different parts of the country have stepped up their co-operation and efforts to arrest and terminate such practices.

A spokesperson at Seiko Epson Corporation said “We applaud the efforts of the Mumbai police to curb this menace and will whole heartedly assist and support the law enforcement authorities in all such crack downs.” He went on to say, “Epson takes great care to observe the law and regulations, and to maintain high standards of corporate ethics while at the same time expecting others to show appropriate respect for its rights. We will continue vigorous enforcement of our intellectual property rights to protect our innovative products against those who use Epson's patented technology, trademarks, and other intellectual property without permission.”

Seiko Epson Corporation says it will keep on supporting the enforcement authorities for such raids in future to protect its interests and to protect the business of its authorised dealers and also act as a deterrent to the erring manufacturers and dealers.