To curb the menance of counterfeit inks for its printers, Epson has recently increased its vigilance with regard to the manufacturers and dealers of counterfeit Epson Ink bottles. Based on the information from Epson vigilance team’s information, the Mumbai police’s IPR unit, in a swift and well-co-ordinated action, recently raided the premises of a dealer of counterfeits in Goregaon, Mumbai. This dealer was involved in the manufacture and supply of counterfeit Epson Ink bottles in Mumbai. Bhimji Hathihayi, the owner of the Rinkal stationery mart that sold Epson counterfeit Ink bottles was arrested, along with Kalpesh and Bhavesh Patel, partners of Ambika Computers, the stockist, and Arvind Chamariya aka Pravin, partner of the bottling unit at Goregaon. They were charged under the prevailing laws of the land with infringement of IP Rights of Seiko Epson Corporation. Large quantities of Ink bottles, Epson holograms, and Epson Stickers & Packaging materials have been seized, as stated by Epson India in its press release.
A spokesperson at Seiko Epson Corporation said “The Mumbai police have been extremely efficient in curbing this issue of infringement and we extend our support to law enforcement authorities that are tackling similar issues. He went on to say, “Epson takes great pride in maintaining an exceptional standard of ethics, while expecting related parties to show adequate respect for its rights. Our effort in curbing such unlawful acts against Epson will continue with a dynamic implementation of our intellectual property rights to protect our innovative products.”
Seiko Epson Corporation says it will continue its effort in the enforcement for such break-ins in the future to guard its interests and to protect the business of its authorised dealers and also act as a deterrent to the erring manufacturers and dealers.
Our law enforcement agencies are required to raid such spurious suppliers and manufacturers in various other industries also such as automobiles, electronics and drugs to name a few.
