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Authorities Seize 19,100 Counterfeit Printer Toner Cartridges in Saudi Arabia

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The war on counterfeit printer consumables continues around the world, with Arab News reporting that authorities seized some 19,100 counterfeit printer toner cartridges worth $346,000 (SR1.3 million) this week from a warehouse in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and arrested the owner of a shop. Note that while third-party, OEM-alternative cartridges aren’t advertised to deceive – they bear the name of the third-party, not name of the OEM such as HP or Lexmark – counterfeit cartridges falsely bear the name of the OEM and are falsely advertised as being manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

This week, the field inspection team for the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Investment (MCI) is said to have found the counterfeit toner cartridges, which were ready for sale, during a raid on a large warehouse, which has since been shut down.

The products included cartons of counterfeit toner for well-known printer brands, cartridges ready for sale, packaging bags, rings for closing the cartridges, and stickers and other materials describing the products.

The shop owner was arrested pending further investigations, and is set to be referred to the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution.

Arab News also reports that, in a previous raid in the Al-Mursalat area in the north of Riyadh, MCI inspectors seized more than 38,000 counterfeit phone chargers, speakers, and batteries for brands such as Apple, Samsung, and LG.

The MCI stressed that its inspection tours “will continue, targeting markets, warehouses, shops and commercial establishments” and called on consumers to report suspected counterfeit goods.

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