As part of the multi-million dollar Anti Counterfeit (ACF) drive of Hewlett Packard (HP), global leader in technology innovations, 20,000 counterfeit products of the company were seized in Ghana in November 2012.

The products were intercepted by the Customs Division of Ghana Revenue Authority at Tema Ports. This year 17,000 of the fake products were seized in Morocco and 3,600 in Mozambique. So far nine million print cartridges and components have been seized worldwide.

Ms Tina Rose, Marketing Programme Manager, ACF Communication, who made this known at a counterfeit live demonstration encounter with media personnel in Accra said her outfit has rolled out a seven-year ACF programme. She used the occasion to unveil HPs latest Mobile Authentication Solutions HP she said invests one billion-dollar a year on research to combat counterfeiting.

She said counterfeit products are usually refilled or remanufactured print cartridges packed in unauthorised or fake reproductions of HP packaging. Ms Rose said the dangers of counterfeit products are that they are sold for the same price the genuine products go for and tends to destroy printers.

The fake products also pose environmental, health and other concerns although it is highly profitable for the criminals dealing in them. Ms Rose noted that customers are mostly unwitting victims of counterfeiting, explaining that studies have shown that only six per cent of buyers are aware they are purchasing fake products.

She said clients should protect themselves by purchasing HP items only from authorised channels. Ms Rose said prevention, education and products packaging are the three pillars to help prevent counterfeiting.

She expressed the need for investigation and enforcement by law enforcement agencies in countries where HP products are marketed. World Customs Organisation and the International Chamber of Commerce says counterfeiting drains an estimated 600 billion Euros from the global economy, equivalent to the loss of about five-seven per cent of trade in brand goods worldwide.