2y ago

HP Fails To Dodge Lawsuit Over Blocking Users From Using Their Printer Scanner If Ink Cartridges Aren’t Installed

www.techdirt.com HP Fails To Dodge Lawsuit Over Blocking Users From Using Their Printer Scanner If Ink Cartridges Aren’t Installed

When it comes to obnoxious DRM and bizarre, greedy restrictions, nobody does it better than printer manufacturers. The industry has long waged a not-so-subtle war on its own customers, routinely ro…

34 comments

They'll get a slap on the wrist fine that nowhere near accounts for the amount of money they made doing this.
- True but this also sets precedent for other cases which is an overall win. But i do wish the fines were bigger I agree with you there.
  
  They need to do a percentage of revue, rather than a fixed price for businesses. Affects bigger companies harder, but let's smaller ones still work through it.
  
  It sets the size of the fee the company will need to pay to do it.
- I loved how EU set fines for GDPR breaches and I feel the same should be applied in other fields when companies are involved. There are two tiers of penalties, with a maximum of 20m euros or 4% of global revenue. That way they feel it. Really feel it. Google got smacked 50 million € for GDPR breach. H&M 35M.

HP has one of the worst customer experiences out there. I don't understand why people keep buying HP trash.
- People use it because hp printers are cheap, but the users dont know what they are putting themselves into by buying hp.

software locks are inherently immoral and anti consumer.
- All of them, or just specific instances?
  
  Stallman from FSF would probably say only if the software is updateable. Firmware which can't be changed is no different from hardware. I kind of agree, even though he said that about open source. But the point still stands. If printer can't be used without account or always online or ink. Then it's a feature. Whether you agree with it or not, vote with your wallet. However if they hide the feature that's misleading advertising and it's a different crime all together.
  But what HP tried to do is to send over the air update that prevented printers from using recycled toner. Now that's a bitch move.
- By itself there is nothing immoral in software lock, but the way it is used here is immoral. It is common understanding and expectation that the scanner should work if there is no ink, thus locking scanner is doggy technique. Locking printer if you do not have ink, however, is totally fine, since it prevents printer damage.
  
  but i only want to print black and white! fuck magenta's issues.
  
  It's a legit use of DRM/software lock if HP gives you the printer to use (for free) when you buy some ink, but they're charging for it and the ink.
  It's function theft.

- I’ve been using brother laser printers for over 15 years now. Toner is very reasonably priced from them and lasts forever. Plus, no sketchy things like forced registration.
  
  Now if only they were reasonably sized like inkjets too...
  
  Can you recommend me a recent one that prints color too?
- I use q 20-year-old HP office printer (1320n) for document printing. Thing is an absolute tank

EAT IT YOU LITTLE SHITS
- Sadly, they earned a lot of money and this was just calculated expense of doing business. Pretty much all big companies operate like that. Abuse the system, rake in money, leave some aside for settling lawsuits. Forbidding them to sell products for a specific time or recalling all the printers and giving money back... that would make them think twice about next time.

I love how so many comments and replies ascribe some form of ‘guilt’ to this, as if HP employees would feel shame. This doesn’t really mean anything to a company that size.
One of the great things about moving to the UK is that, despite all its problems, consumer protection Europe is so much better than in the US.

Good!

Next they need to be charged for the ink itself... Literally the most expensive liquid on the planet, more than fucking LSD!

And a hearty fuck you to HP Sales execs, may their children fritter their unearned stock grants on glow in the dark drink umbrellas.

34 comments