Venice, FL – The Imaging Supplies Coalition held its 15th conference on the Prevention of Counterfeiting and Fraud in the Imaging Supplies Industry on Sept.14 – 16 at Planet Hollywood Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. The conference was attended by approximately 90 brand protection professionals from Europe, Latin America, Canada, Mexico, Asia, Australia and the US. The attendee list included representatives from the ISC member companies and was also attended by a number of exhibitors displaying anti-counterfeiting/security technology and services. In conjunction with the conference the ISC celebrated its 20th anniversary with recognition of its founder Bill Duffy and its first president Bill Enright.
The conference keynote speech was delivered by Jorge Garcia, Deputy Assistant Director, Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Los Angeles Field Office. Mr. Garcia discussed CBP’s Trade Transformation initiatives, which covered Centers of Excellence and Expertise as well as IPR and Patent enforcement. A presentation was given by Irina Maslennikova, Vice President of Xerox Global Supplies Business Group, which discussed the strategic importance of brand protection to the growth and stability of Xerox. Presentations on the status of the IPR environment in China and in Africa were very informative. Presentations of case studies from ISC member companies and their industry partners focused on successes in preventing and eliminating counterfeiting activity. Industry analysts also presented important papers: Charles Brewer of Actionable Intelligence discussed “Reseller Realities – The Challenge Continues”, and David Gibbons of Reseller Times presented “Digging a Hole to China” a summary of the status of the aftermarket industry in China. Mark Schonfeld, Esq. presented a paper on the “Legal Challenges of 3D Printing”.
The conference presentations and discussions made clear that protecting intellectual property rights is a critical issue for everyone involved in the imaging supplies industry. Supplies counterfeiting in the world wide imaging supplies market is estimated at $3.5 billion annually. The imaging supplies industry has a great track record in combating IPR infringement due to the diligence of its brand owners in implementing effective brand protection programs. The conference participants left the conference with an updated view of the IPR issues facing the industry and a resolve to continue finding new and effective ways to mitigate these crimes.
The Imaging Supplies Coalition (ISC) is a non-profit trade association comprised of original equipment manufacturers of consumable imaging supplies and equipment that have joined together to protect their customers by combating illegal activities in the imaging supplies industry. Coalition members are Brother International Corporation, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Epson America Inc., HP, Lexmark International, Inc., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. and Xerox.
For more information about counterfeiting in the Imaging Supplies industry and the work of the ISC visit isc-inc.org.
