Unhealthy competition As heated as the battles are between competitors within the imaging equipment and supplies industries, the wildcard within this competitive fray is the counterfeiting element that has found the industry ripe for the plucking. In reality, those numbers may be twice that amount according to ISC president Bill Duffy. The ISC is an organization whose mission is protecting the intellectual property and related assets of the imaging supplies industry s distributors, suppliers, and manufacturers. Sharp Electronics Corp. The growth of the imaging industry seems to be its own worst enemy when it comes to fraud. And that s exactly how these supplies are viewed by the counterfeiters and scam artists who are preying on all segments of the industry, from distributors to end users.
Counterfeiters leave a host of victims in their wake.
Whenever a counterfeit product is sold, that s one less sale for an OEM or other legitimate supplier of toner and developer. Office equipment dealers are also victims. Some may have unknowingly acquired counterfeit product off the gray market or from some other source. Sometimes a customer has fallen victim to an offer for imaging supplies that s too good to be true. And when that customer has problems with his or her machine from using a counterfeit product, or calls the dealer complaining about imaging quality or low yields, the dealer is often responsible for servicing the machine and making things right.