2023-05-15 13:57:32
HP is disabling customer printers that use competitor ink cartridges. The manufacturer proceeds by the remote application of updates which have the effect of preventing the printers from functioning if they are not equipped with approved ink cartridges. The company justifies it by the need to ensure consumer safety. The chart rekindles the debate about how printer manufacturers are eroding user property rights to benefit their businesses.
I was printing a lot of documents for an urgent job and I had to change the cartridge. Unbeknownst to me, HP electronically broke into my apartment overnight and disabled my printer, demanding ransom if I didn’t use its ink. I refused and I refuse to do it, reports a printer owner.
The company for its part justifies the maneuver by indicating that third-party ink cartridges raise security risks. A system is as strong as its weakest link. We see third-party ink cartridges equipped as entry points for hackers, says an HP security manager.
This complaint follows several others with similar grounds. I ended up with an error message on my computer telling me that my HP Office Jet Pro printer was disabled remotely by the manufacturer. When I went to the HP site to check, it turned out that the credit card I use to subscribe to the HP Instant Ink service had expired, which is why HP is decommissioning it, reports an Internet user who owns an HP printer.
The fact is that HP mails owners of some of its connected printers ink cartridges to cover their anticipated printing needs. The use of these is subject to the tie-up of a subscription. If exceeded, the company charges additional fees for each new page printed. If the user refuses to pay the subscription or additional costs, the printer stops working, even if the cartridge is still supplied with ink. The expiry of the plaintiff’s card will therefore have been considered by the company as a refusal to pay the subscription fees.
These are complaints related to a cartridge renewal service that the printer manufacturer offers. It’s a fact, original ink cartridges are expensive. To respond to this state of affairs, the company has, since 2016, set up HP Inc Subscription for a range of printers connected to the Internet network. The company’s promise through this service is to help consumers achieve significant savings. It has therefore so far promoted the Free Ink For Life offer which allows users to print 15 pages per month for free. After this quota, you have to go to the checkout according to a fee schedule defined by the company.
These situations illustrate how printer manufacturers are eroding users’ proprietary rights to benefit their businesses. The phenomenon is not new. In 2016, several HP printer users in North America complained that their HP printer no longer worked with third-party cartridges. The finding followed the application of a firmware update that introduced DRM making printers compatible only with original cartridges. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) had sent a letter to HP’s CEO asking him to apologize to the company’s customers and restore the ability to use third-party cartridges. In the third quarter of 2018, HP agreed to pay $1.5 million in compensation to 2.4 million American HP printer owners affected by the developments. In the fourth quarter of 2018, the manufacturer Epson (one of the leaders in France) once again came under fire from criticism from American consumers for the same reasons.
In reality, many printer manufacturers are affected by practices of this kind. We can indeed refer to a complaint filed in 2017 by the HOP association (Halte l’Obsolescence Programme) against X for program obsolescence and deception to see that Canon and Brother are extending the list.
Posts from printer users affected by these developments report that they can be forced to use third-party ink cartridges. The method consists of three steps: disable automatic updates; download old firmware; install it.
And you ?
What do you think of such practices by printer manufacturers?
What do you think is the most recommendable printer manufacturer at the moment? For what ?
See as well :
3D printing: HP launches a machine that builds items not of plastic, but of steel
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