NBI scores vs illegal ink trade

Continuing enforcement action against infringers of ink toners and cartridges has taken a full swing after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) zeroed in on a clandestine re-filling business in Manla.

Armed with a search warrant obtained from Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46, a team led by NBI agent Glenn Lacaran raided what appeared to be a residential unit located in Sta. Ana.

The raiding team later found out that Samique Trading and Services conducts clandestine ink re-filling operations at the mezzanine level of 1986-B Fabie Estate, Road 14.

Samique engages in re-filling and re-manufacturing of ink toners and cartridges. However, the business became illegal when it allegedly passed of re-filled toners and cartridges as genuine as genuine Hewlett-Packard (HP) products.

HP’s registered trademarks are infringed when the toner or cartridge is refilled with generic ink, re-packed in genuine boxes bearing the HP marks and eventually sold or distributed as original HP products. The illegal activities were uncovered through information provided by HP’s investigators in the Philippines, IP Manila Associates.

The NBI confiscated hundreds of empty and re-filled HP ink toners and cartridges, numerous used HP boxes, material used for re-packing re-filled ink and documents evidencing transactions pertaining to the illegal sale and distribution of re-filled ink in recycled HP boxes.

Hewlett-Packard’s counsel, Bengzon Negre Untalan Intellectual Property Attorneys, is preparing the formal criminal charges for trademark infringement against the owners of Samique.

Hewlett-Packard has been aggressively pursuing enforcement actions to protect its intellectual property rights. In a span of two months, it had initiated two successful raids against infringement of HP trademarks in Makati and Manila.