unbelievable!

[miriam_e]

Lexmark apparently make printers that have a special chip in their ink cartridges whose only function is to prevent the printer working if you recycle cartidges or want to use a cheaper third party cartridge. They have brought a law suit under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) against a company, Static Control Components Inc. (SCC), who make replacement cartridges that emulate the Lexmark anti-replacement chip.

Once upon a time people were delighted to exploit every edge they could gain in the spread of their products into the marketplace. Now it seems half the world has gone copyright-crazy! Lexmark want a law to ensure their product is consigned to the dusty cupboards of history???

Unbelievable! Such stupidity is truly awesome!

Comments

[patchworkkid.livejournal.com]

Society needs a comprehensive defrag.

[damien-wise.livejournal.com]

I can't say for certain, but I think it was Epson that pioneered this flavour of anti-competitive (read: monopolistic) behavior.
Marketing-hype suggests it's the guarantee only quality ink goes into the printer and that the print-head will gum-up with any other brand of ink.
The real reason is that the printer companies are making a moderate profit on printers and a whopping profit on consumables (ink cartridges and treated/"photographic" paper). It's a deliberately skewed marketing tactic.

Because HP have also joined the club, there's little choice between the major manufacturers when it comes to the buyer's decision of "does this brand allow the ink cartridge to be refilled?". The overall buying decision is made on a list of other factors such as print-resolution, speed, and the initial purchase price. It's easy to keep the customer uninformed of the catch until further down the line, and by the time they find out it's too late...

...and in the meantime, the low cost of big-brand printers squeezes-out the smaller and starting-up printer manufacturers (which explains why the larger companies aren't exactly worried about the lack of real competition).

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

I am sooo pissed off at my inkjet printer! It is such a troublesome machine that I would only buy one again with a gun pointed at my head... and I'd still have to think about it. My next printer will be a laser printer. No way will I ever touch inkjet technology again. Finding out that the printer companies are engaged in anti-customer activities like that just confirms me in my decision.

I would never recommend inkjet printers to anybody. I haven't met the person who has used one for any length of time who is happy with it.