Issued By West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service

COUNTERFEIT PRINT CARTRIDGES SEIZED

As part of their ongoing operation against counterfeiters, West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service have seized counterfeit computer software worth approximately £100,000 from a Leeds based company.

Over 6000 fake Epson printer cartridges were recovered when Trading Standards Officers working together with representatives from Epson raided premises in Leeds last Thursday. The products, purchased from a Lancashire based importer, demonstrated the highly sophisticated techniques of the counterfeiters and how they can make their products appear genuine.

West Yorkshire’s Chief Trading Standards Officer, Martin Wood said:

“The packaging of these print cartridges was extremely high quality and customers would almost certainly not have been able to identify them as counterfeit.  Normally when we think of counterfeiting, we think of perfume, clothing, watches and compact discs. This demonstrates that counterfeiters consider anything to be fair game and their action undermines legitimate business.  Computer software, motor oil, soap, vodka and whisky have all been seized in the past.   It is an ongoing battle because counterfeiters are getting better and better but we will continue to undertake operations such as this because it hits them where it hurts – in the pocket”.

The operation was the culmination of a busy period for the West Yorkshire Trading Standards team who have carried out recent raids in the Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield areas.  In excess of 30,000 counterfeit items have been recovered, with a total street value of approximately £200,000, since April alone.

For further information please contact :

Kevin Robson, Trading Standards Officer     0113 289 8241

Graham Hebblethwaite, Divisional Manager. General Media Contact 0113 2898218.

Paul Cooper, Divisional Manager. 0113 2898240

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