HP is disabling customer printers that use competitor ink cartridges. The manufacturer runs remote updates that cause the printers to stop working if they are not equipped with approved ink cartridges. The company justifies this with the need to ensure consumer safety. The graphic reignites the debate on how printer manufacturers are eroding user ownership for the benefit of their businesses.
I was printing a lot of documents for an urgent job and needed to change the cartridge. Unbeknownst to me, HP electronically broke into my home overnight, shut down my printer, and ransomed me if I didn’t use the ink. I refused and I refuse to do it, reports a printer owner.
The company, in turn, justified the maneuver by pointing out that third-party ink cartridges pose security risks. A system is as strong as its weakest link. We see third-party ink cartridges equipped with them as gateways for hackers, says an HP security manager.
This complaint follows several others with similar reasoning. I ended up getting an error message on my computer telling me that my HP Office Jet Pro printer was remotely disabled by the manufacturer. When I went to HP’s website to check, it turned out that the credit card I use to subscribe to the HP Instant Ink service had expired, so HP is retiring it, reports a netizen who owns an HP printer .
In fact, HP sends ink cartridges to owners of some of its connected printers to meet their estimated printing needs. The use of this is linked to the conclusion of a subscription. If exceeded, the company will charge additional fees for each new page printed. If the user refuses to pay for the subscription or additional costs, the printer will stop working even if the cartridge still has ink. The expiration of the plaintiff’s card is therefore viewed by the company as a refusal to pay the subscription fees.
These are complaints related to a cartridge renewal service offered by the printer manufacturer. The fact is that original ink cartridges are expensive. To respond to this situation, since 2016 the company has set up an HP Inc subscription for a number of printers connected to the Internet network. The company’s promise is to help consumers make significant savings with this service. Therefore, the offer “Free Ink For Life” was previously advertised, which allows users to print 15 pages per month for free. From this quota you have to checkout according to a fee schedule set by the company.
These situations illustrate how printer manufacturers erode user ownership for the benefit of their business. The phenomenon is not new. In 2016, several HP printer users in North America complained that their HP printer stopped working with third-party cartridges. The discovery came after applying a firmware update that introduced DRM and made printers compatible only with genuine 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 market leaders in France) again came under criticism from American consumers for the same reasons.
In fact, many printer manufacturers are affected by such practices. We can actually refer to a 2017 complaint filed by the HOP association (Halte l’Obsolescence Programs) against X for program obsolescence and deception to see Canon and Brother add to the list.
Printer users affected by these developments have reported that they may 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?
Which printer manufacturer do you think is currently the most recommended? For what ?
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