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HP Built Printer Ink Monopoly With Forced Dynamic Security Updates, Lawsuit Says...

 5 months ago
source link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/24/01/09/2059244/hp-built-printer-ink-monopoly-with-forced-dynamic-security-updates-lawsuit-says
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HP Built Printer Ink Monopoly With Forced Dynamic Security Updates, Lawsuit Says

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HP has used its "Dynamic Security" firmware updates to "create a monopoly" of replacement printer ink cartridges, a lawsuit filed against the company on January 5 claims. From a report: The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action certification, represents yet another form of litigation against HP for bricking printers when they try to use ink that doesn't bear an HP logo. The lawsuit (PDF), which was filed in US District Court in the Northern District of Illinois, names 11 plaintiffs and seeks an injunction against HP requiring the company to disable its printer firmware updates from preventing the use of non-HP branded ink. The lawsuit also seeks monetary damages greater than $5,000,000 and a trial by jury. [...] HP was wrong to issue a firmware update affecting printer functionality, and users were not notified that accepting firmware updates "could damage any features of the printer," the lawsuit says.

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      • by kellin ( 28417 ) on Tuesday January 09, 2024 @04:49PM (#64145261)

        Yep. Even the Epson EcoTanks are a scam. I had a client who didn't understand why his printer just stopped working with an error message after 3 years. Turns out there are two built in "features" of the printer.

        1. There's an overflow tank for excess ink. That in itself isn't an issue, as you can pull it an empty it.
        2. There's a built-in page print counter that causes the printer to EOL with the previously mentioned error message. The only way to fix it is to find an online program (not made by Epson) that can reset the counter. While this isn't something for those of us who are more technically inclined, for the regular end-user, this is annoying.

        First chance I got, I ditched the inkjet HPs I had inherited and bought a Brother B/W laserjet that gets infrequent use, and a Canon Color ImageClass. I don't expect either to fail any time soon, or give me any sort of grief... although, come to think of it, the Canon's paper feeder for the scanner doesn't work correctly, but I so rarely scan it's not something I think about.

        • Re:

          "Knowing their weakness, I sent ream after ream of my own paper at them until they reached their limit and shut down."

        • Re:

          You're missing a third issue: The tank style printers all have an insanely wasteful mandatory "cleaning" function that dumps tons of ink into a non-replaceable pad sitting in the bottom of the printer. It's not a special container or anything, it's literally just the bottom of the inside of the printer. Once they flood that pad the printer is bricked.

      • Re:

        AFIK, there is no other way to get high quality photo prints

        • Friends dont let friends buy inkjet.

          AFIK, there is no other way to get high quality photo prints

          How many people need many high quality photo prints ? For most of us, most of the time a laser is good enough; for the odd occasion that you need high quality pop down to your local shop that has a machine to print them.

        • Re:

          You need to buy a printer with more than four inks for that to beat a laser printer. Which just means more inks to dry out and waste money on. My laser printer prints look great. I'm sure I could tell a difference with a loop, but why bother.

        • Re:

          Order them next day online. Or go to the local print shop.

        • Re:

          How many photo prints do you do that makes that cost effective?

    • Re:

      We've got non-durable InkTank as the only other option...

    • Are they still good? Any good all-in-one color laser ones?

  • Never ever again. Personally and professionally, never buying nor recommending HP again.

    Specifically because of the terrible drivers, lock-in and product reliability.

    No inkjets either, I might only go for HP if I can get my hands on a second hand Laserjet III or IV.

    • Re:

      I used two HP inkjets. First one was terrible. It printed OK, but the head was clogging up all the time and it would be very finicky with the original HP cartridges. You power on printer and it suddenly stopped recognizing cartridges that were in it. Something like the printer out of Office Space movie.
      My current one is HP8028 and that one works more or less OK. I refill original cartridges many times by dripping ink onto the exit port. It appears that you do need to purchase a new original cartridge set,

    • Re:

      LOL exactly this. Some of those asshole cultist are probably here saying how terrible HP is.

  • Remember, HP was given its ink monopoly in exchange for paying off the Digital Electronics Company's debt to retired seniors. Otherwise, we would have had DEC's lawsuits ruining the computer industry as we know it. So, cheap ink just isn't available here.

  • I have a HP OfficeJet Pro 8710 inkjet printer and it's been actually a fine product, albeit with one fatal flaw. Last week it indicated that Yellow is empty (Cyan and Magenta are "low"), yet the black ink is good for another 500 pages, as per its own estimate. Basically I've got a shedload of black left. OK that's fine - I only want to print black and white / monochrome. Do you think it will let me do that? No. It just keeps telling me that there's an ink fault and it refuses to print, no matter what I do.
    • Can you inject something readily available (that isn't expensive ink, e.g. water or alcohol) into those two color low Genuine HP cartridges?

      Or is it a timer that tells you the color cartridges are out no matter what and you are SOL?

  • ... they should RENT me a printer, not "sell" me one that only works if I keep paying them for the privilege.

  • HP/Microsoft blew up the driver for my old but still functional all-in-one printer a while ago, but Android can still print to it. So it's 1) print to PDF, 2) Copy to Google Drive, 3) Print from phone for all of our Windows computers. I worked with printer drivers for OS/2 years ago and there were very few real interface variations across all printers even at that time. All of these "specialized drivers" are bogus and more related to licensing and driving sales than technical interface requirements.

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