Canon Inc. and Canon U.S.A., Inc. together with Amazon.com, Inc., and Amazon.com Services LLC jointly filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington against 18 selling accounts which sold toner cartridges on the Amazon store in the U.S., alleging infringement of Canon’s trademark rights.
Cheap ink cartridges may be tempting but also may be counterfeit and low-quality
Canon says it aggressively pursues counterfeiters in the United States and around the world to protect its customers from fake and potentially unsafe products, which unlawfully use the Canon name, as well as to protect the value, trusted reputation, and loyalty that the Canon brand has acquired over decades in producing high-quality, safe, and reliable products.
Damages due to counterfeit goods on e-commerce websites are increasing in proportion to the growth of the e-commerce market, and Canon and Amazon are collaborating in fighting against counterfeiters and protecting both of our customers. This joint lawsuit was filed as a part of a collaboration between manufacturer/brand owner and e-commerce platform.
This action follows on from Epson's 2023 lawsuit against Weston Tees, a company alledgedly infringing Epson's inks, chip circuits and cartridge patents.
This is not the first time Amazon and Canon have teamed up in this way as the two corporate companies attempt to stem the scourge of counterfeit goods. In May 2023, Amazon and Canon targeted a large group of so-called “bad actors” that the two companies said sold counterfeit camera batteries and chargers to unsuspecting buyers.
Canon said that batteries, printer ink, and toner are all products likely to be counterfeited thanks to the relative ease of production and potential for large profits.
Counterfeit products are a big problem on Amazon and while the company can successfully deal with them, the broader issue of fake or scam products overall is a big deal and is challenging to address. There are tons of products listed on Amazon that are clearly scams and, unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to deal with all of them, according to PetaPixel.
Major printer/ink manufacturers invest millions of R&D dollars in ensuring their printhead/software/firmware/ink combinations delivers the very best results for their discerning customers. Counterfeited inks and refilled cartridges may be cheaper but are never the same quality, safety, sustainability and longevity as original manufacturer inks.
Australian original manufacturer ink supplier Cartridges Direct has even linked the people behind some counterfeit inks as crime gangs and funding for terrorist organisations.
For more information about Canon’s anti-counterfeiting measures, please visit the following website: Canon Trademark Rights
