Thanks Darren Bolton for this sending this in.
Counterfeit Compaq Computer Corp. parts were seized in New Hampshire after the company was contacted by a customer who received suspect memory boards from an unauthorized wholesaler.
A seizure conducted by U.S. Marshals on Jan. 29 at Hardware 4 Less in Bow, New Hampshire turned up an unspecified number of counterfeit memory boards and hard drives. Also confiscated were Compaq labels, packing material, warranty booklets and software licenses used to manufacturer and package the fake products. Hardware 4 Less was not available for comment.
"An injunction against Hardware 4 Less to prohibit the company from continuing to sell the counterfeit products has been issued," said Elizabeth Gillan, a spokeswoman for Compaq in Houston. "We will bring to justice those who are counterfeiting products and make sure we protect our customers and authorized distribution partners."
Though no arrests or legal actions have been made against individuals at this time, Gillan said Compaq will seek several million in damages from Hardware 4 Less for illegally manufacturing and distributing counterfeit Compaq products. The OEM also is pursuing and has obtained court injunctions against several other companies that have been buying and selling counterfeit Compaq products.
The action falls on the heels of a similar search and seizure carried out last year when Compaq in cooperation with the U.S. Marshals, the FBI and the Orange Country U.S. Attorney's office confiscated millions in counterfeit parts from Dynasty Memory in Santa Ana, Calif.
News source: EBN - Fake Compaq boards seized in New Hampshire raid
Counterfeit Compaq Computer Corp. parts were seized in New Hampshire after the company was contacted by a customer who received suspect memory boards from an unauthorized wholesaler.
A seizure conducted by U.S. Marshals on Jan. 29 at Hardware 4 Less in Bow, New Hampshire turned up an unspecified number of counterfeit memory boards and hard drives. Also confiscated were Compaq labels, packing material, warranty booklets and software licenses used to manufacturer and package the fake products. Hardware 4 Less was not available for comment.
"An injunction against Hardware 4 Less to prohibit the company from continuing to sell the counterfeit products has been issued," said Elizabeth Gillan, a spokeswoman for Compaq in Houston. "We will bring to justice those who are counterfeiting products and make sure we protect our customers and authorized distribution partners."
Though no arrests or legal actions have been made against individuals at this time, Gillan said Compaq will seek several million in damages from Hardware 4 Less for illegally manufacturing and distributing counterfeit Compaq products. The OEM also is pursuing and has obtained court injunctions against several other companies that have been buying and selling counterfeit Compaq products.
The action falls on the heels of a similar search and seizure carried out last year when Compaq in cooperation with the U.S. Marshals, the FBI and the Orange Country U.S. Attorney's office confiscated millions in counterfeit parts from Dynasty Memory in Santa Ana, Calif.
News source: EBN - Fake Compaq boards seized in New Hampshire raid
Ongoing seizures in the unauthorized channel prompted Compaq to co-found the Anti-Gray Market Alliance (AGMA) launched last September. AGMA is an industry initiative formed to address the global impact of the gray market on the IT industry. Founding members include 3Com Corp., Apple Computer Corp., Cisco Systems Inc., Compaq Computer Corp., Hewlett Packard Corp., Juniper Networks, Nortel Networks and Xerox Corp.
The association's charter is to educate consumers on the importance of purchasing from the authorized channel and expects to expand to cover issues in the counterfeit market in the near future.
"We are seeing a lot of gray market brokers selling counterfeit goods," said Elizabeth Gillan, spokeswoman for Compaq in Houston. "The two issues are intertwined."
AGMA has contracted a research firm to create a white paper on the counterfeit industry scheduled for release in May.
David Colton, executive director at AGMA in Arlington said an unidentified member company has estimated its counterfeit problem at more than $400 million per year.
"We are finding the problem is far greater in the international market as products are shipped into the U.S. from one location to another," Colton said, "The more times products are touched in the shipping process, the many more opportunities for boards to be gutted and altered."
Consumers skeptical about memory products and hard drives can log on to Compaq's Web site to find customer advisory alerts that address counterfeits parts.
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