Supreme Court releases printer cartridges from patent prison
As the old adage goes, computer printer ink is one of the most expensive liquids on earth, commanding anywhere from $13 to $75 an ounce. In too many cases it’s less expensive to buy a new printer than it is to buy a replacement cartridge for the printer you already have. Because of the price, an after-market of sorts sprung up of services that could refill your old cartridges at a fraction of the price of buying a new one. For years the printer companies battled with these services claiming refilling the cartridges violated their patents. Yesterday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that argument was invalid.
The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit brought about by printer manufacturer Lexmark who were suing a small company that bought used cartridges, refilled them and resold them at a much cheaper price. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. compared the practice of garages being able to repair and sell used cars and said these kinds of practices are vital to the economy.
Now that printer makers may have some competition on their hands, how will this affect the prices of ink? Will it continue to be more expensive than milk and gasoline by volume or will they double down on continuing to mark up the prices to ridiculous amounts out of protest? Maybe we’ll even see a new influx of businesses who can now freely refill your cartridges without fear of legal action, which would be great news for consumers.
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