HP has sued a pair of printer cartridge refillers in a bid to protect its consumables business. Yesterday, HP filed a complaint with the US District Court of Northern California against RhinoTek, accusing the refiller of false advertising - it maintains RhinoTek's "packaging and promotional materials are calculated to give consumers the impression that defendants' cartridges are new".
HP's filing requests the court order RhinoTek to make it clear that the company is selling used and refilled cartridges. It also requests RhinoTek's profits from the allegedly mis-sold products be handed over as damages. On Friday, the printer giant sued InkCycle for allegedly violating three of its patents: 5,165,968, 5,428,383 and 5,488,402. All three centre on ways of making ink dry more quickly to colours from blurring, a process that effectively reduces the resolution of the printed image.
News source: The Register
