Tens of thousands of fake ink cartridges have been seized in police raids on warehouses in Turkey and Italy, printer maker Lexmark has announced today.
Lexmark officials and police swooped on a warehouse in Turkey, seizing counterfeit ink cartridges made under several printer brand names.
The haul of 1,000 fake Lexmark products is understood to include photographic ink cartridges.
‘This raid was the culmination of an extensive investigation of a suspect who had previously been charged with trademark counterfeiting in the Turkish court system,’ said a spokesman for Lexmark who explained that the move was part of the firm’s ongoing efforts to remove fake products from the market.
Last month Italian police raided a warehouse in Milan where almost 40,000 counterfeit Lexmark items were discovered.
‘The facility was being used as a repackaging plant for building complete counterfeit cartridges of multiple brands,’ added Lexmark.
The firm said that a suspect has been arrested.
Meanwhile, Lexmark is appealing for help in combating what it says is a worsening problem of ‘clone toner cartridges’ violating the company’s patents.
‘Lexmark has recently taken action against manufacturers, distributors and resellers of these cartridges that violate Lexmark intellectual property, with success in the United States and Germany.’
Sellers, distributors and importers of potentially patent-infringing cartridges are urged to email information to clone@lexmark.com
