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Canon publishes microsite to bring awareness to counterfeit, gray market Canon products

Canon USA has launched a new microsite designed to raise awareness of counterfeit Canon equipment.

‘With the surge of online shopping, the availability of counterfeits for many brands has persisted and grown, leaving consumers unaware about counterfeits and unable to make informed purchasing decisions,’ says Canon its its press release. ‘The Canon anti-counterfeit consumer education microsite includes updated tips on how to spot counterfeits that unlawfully bear the Canon logo as well as a discussion about the difference between gray market and counterfeit goods for consumers who may not know how to distinguish between them.’

The first question of the quiz shows off a genuine Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT next to a counterfeit version.

Canon’s microsite offers a ten-question visual quiz wherein you can view a genuine Canon product versus a counterfeit in detail and have to decide which one is real and which one is fake. It might sound easy enough, but even when poring over the product shots in detail it can be difficult to distinguish between the two.

In addition to counterfeit products, Canon also provides a detailed guide on gray market products, which don’t carry the same warranty and support as regional camera equipment.

Press release:

Canon U.S.A., Inc. Focuses on Consumer Safety with an Anti-Counterfeit Consumer Education Microsite Update

MELVILLE, NY, August 9, 2021 Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, is taking the opportunity to spotlight its commitment to anti-counterfeit consumer education and safety awareness. Canon has a longstanding commitment to fight against the proliferation of counterfeit Canon products by helping to protect customers from receiving non-Canon products that are hazardous and can cause damage to their equipment. As part of this effort, Canon has updated its anti-counterfeit consumer education microsite, providing expanded information about commonly counterfeited Canon products, as well as informing consumers about the battery recognition technology that is built into certain Canon cameras and camcorders. The website can be found at usa.canon.com/aboutcounterfeits.

With the surge of online shopping, the availability of counterfeits for many brands has persisted and grown, leaving consumers unaware about counterfeits and unable to make informed purchasing decisions. The Canon anti-counterfeit consumer education microsite includes updated tips on how to spot counterfeits that unlawfully bear the Canon logo as well as a discussion about the difference between gray market and counterfeit goods for consumers who may not know how to distinguish between them. The microsite also offers consumers handy links to anti-counterfeit product advisories and resources, as well as a link to some valuable information that Canon provides to its consumers concerning another form of fakery being offered to the public– some service and support companies passing themselves off as authorized Canon repair facilities.

Canon promotes safety by partnering with its consumers and sharing technical expertise. On the microsite, U.S. consumers are encouraged to use Canon U.S.A’s most important safety education tool – its anti-counterfeit hotline at 1-855-46-CANON – that allows Canon consumers to report suspicious Canon goods so that they can be authenticated by Canon before use.

“At Canon, we have invested deeply to ensure our technical staff is thoroughly trained and well equipped with the knowledge and tools required to properly identify non-genuine merchandise. The specific combination of our formal processes, access to proprietary manufacturing attributes, training, and tools available exclusively to our Canon service staff, allows us to discern even the most intricate differences between genuine and non-genuine items,” says Jason Fligman, Senior Director & General Manager of Customer Support Operations for the Imaging Technologies and Communications Group at Canon U.S.A., Inc. “We are very aware of the quality and safety issues that are common amongst counterfeit Canon products, and committed to assisting our valued customers in ensuring the authenticity of Canon-branded items.”

Canon encourages consumers who seek to buy genuine Canon products to purchase them through authorized dealers by using a dealer locator link on Canon’s website or through a brand-based online store, such as Canon Direct. Canon also pursues counterfeiters in the U.S. and around the world to protect its customers from potentially unsafe products that 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.


Author:
Gannon Burgett
Source: Dpreview

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