Canon Press Release Addresses Gray Market Products

WHAT IS GRAY MARKET?

Information on Parallel or “Gray Market” Products

Canon sells and supports Canon-brand consumer and professional products in the U.S. through Canon U.S.A., which distributes these products through its authorized dealers and distributors. Canon U.S.A. is the only authorized importer of these products in the U.S., and provides industry-leading customer service and support for them. Products distributed by Canon U.S.A. are “localized” to meet the needs of customers in the U.S. market and are engineered to comply with local safety regulations and governmental requirements. As such, these products come with different accessories, manuals, and warranties than the versions intended for sale in other global regions such as Asia. Any Canon-brand products which are imported and sold other than by this method are referred to as “parallel,” or “Gray Market,” products (collectively, “Gray Market Products”).

Hazards and Difficulties Associated with “Gray Market” Products

Customers in the U.S. may find that Gray Market Products do not meet their expectations because they were not intended by Canon for sale in the U.S. In some cases, sellers of Gray Market Products may attempt to localize the products themselves by adding, changing or removing certain accessories from the products, which may result in the following:

• including in product packaging illegal or counterfeit accessories, such as batteries, chargers, and ink tanks, which can cause injury and seriously damage your Canon product;
• an incorrect power cord or adapter which was not provided, or quality checked, by Canon;
• incorrect software or illegal copies of software which may not function;
• poor photocopies of the original manual;
• a fake Canon U.S. warranty, a warranty provided by a third party, or no warranty at all; and
• a device with a serial number which cannot be registered with Canon in the U.S.

Customers should also be aware that Gray Market Products may not be eligible for:

• coverage under a U.S. warranty;
• U.S. promotions, including mail-in and instant rebates; and
• technical support

If you are in doubt about a seller, or whether the products it sells are intended for the U.S., please visit http://usa.canon.com/authorizeddealers for a list of Canon U.S.A.’s Authorized Dealers. New and genuine Canon products intended for sale in the U.S. can only be purchased from Canon Authorized Dealers in the U.S. or from Canon U.S.A. directly.

To learn more about counterfeit products, please visit http://usa.canon.com/aboutcounterfeits to view important information.