HP goes QR to fight fake consumables

Stephen Withers
Monday, 19 September 2011 16:10

Business IT - Security

HP is stepping up its anti-counterfeiting campaign. QR codes on the company's consumables packaging will allow customers to check the provenance before they buy.

HP's anti-counterfeit program has resulted in the confiscation of 20 million units of fake product over the last four years, according to Karine Tan, program marketing manager for the Asia Pacific region of HP's imaging and printing group.

According to Ms Tan, cloned, refilled and remanufactured cartridges are being sold as new in HP-like packaging, and 58% of customers buying the counterfeits do so unknowingly.

The now-familiar holographic sticker on HP consumables is being extended with a QR code. An iPhone app (soon to be joined by an Android version) can be used to check whether the sticker is legitimate or not.

The free HP eSupplies app is initially available in Australia and Singapore, and is being localised for other countries in the region.

If you have a smartphone other than one that runs iOS or Android, HP also provides a web page where the cartridge's serial number can be entered for verification.

Ms Tan noted that the incidence of counterfeit consumables was relatively low in Australia, and that it was more of a problem in developing economies.

Disclosure: The writer attended an HP event in Shanghai as the guest of the company.