HP hits ink refillers with lawsuits
HP has taken the gloves off in its battle against cut-rate ink dealers, slapping RhinoTek and InkCycle with lawsuits, reports News.com. HP says that InkCycle is in violation of their patents, while their suit against RhinoTek is for false advertising. Both companies sell refilled ink cartridges, and HP claims that RhinoTek misleadingly markets its ink as new. The suits are part of a continuing effort on the part of the beleaguered company to maintain its consumables business; other efforts have included chipped cartridges that stop printing when they reach a certain level, premium inks and, according to a class-action lawsuit — cartridges that expire when a certain date is reached, whether they're out of ink or not. Whether or not HP succeeds in its cases against RhinoTek and InkCycle, consumers will still be able to purchase refills; HP isn't challenging the concept of refilling, just the practices of the two companies.
