To date, buyers of replacement lamps for projectors and rear-projection televisions have been largely unaware of the risks posed by copy lamps, which range from poor value to physical danger. The Genuine Lamps Alliance will take the lead in raising awareness of the issue through a pan-European public relations campaign and the provision of resources to help consumers identify and avoid copy products.
The copy lamp problem has developed over the last three years, as unauthorised manufacturers reverse engineered genuine lamps to create copy products. Recent litigation in the USA and Germany has proved that some of these manufacturers, and their distribution partners, are violating the intellectual property rights of companies developing the technology for genuine replacement lamps.
Owners of these rights are taking an increasingly aggressive stand against those alleged to have traded in copy products. The Genuine Lamps Alliance is dedicated to reassuring consumers by promoting sources of supply that are willing to commit to the supply of genuine lamps only. Membership of the Alliance confers the right to use the Alliance's 'tick mark' as a public sign of this commitment.
Alliance members are a mix of audio visual manufacturers, distributors and dealers across Europe. The Alliance has published White Papers which outline the risks posed by both buying and selling copy lamps. These provide advice on identifying and avoiding copy lamps, and highlight the advantages of buying and selling only genuine lamps.
The White Papers are Buying replacement projection lamps: why take a risk? and Selling replacement projection lamps: why take a risk? Both are available as free downloads from www.genuinelamps.org, along with additional information resources.
(Jim Evans)
