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U.S. Court: Lexmark Can Tie Rebates To Refills
SteveOU writes "Lexmark won a favorable judgement in its attempt to prevent competitors from refilling its cartridges. The judgement, issued by Judge Saundra Brown Armstrong of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, was a big loss for 'the rest of us,' reading in part "Because of its patents, Lexmark has the right to impose conditions on the sale of its patented product. It may restrict a purchaser's ability to repair it, which is what in essence the single-use condition does." What now? Will GM prohibit unauthorized repairs of its patented car components?"
Another victory for the DMCA, Gimme a hell yeah!
- Beacuse nobody on
/. uses lexmark rubbish?
But of course we do, mine makes an excellent paper weight for all the stacked files in the floor, and when the neighborhood dogs get too rowdy/noisy it doubles as a very useful item to throw at them to scare them off. After all, it's not like anyone cares if it's damaged. Oh wait, nevermind, it was damaged when it was designed, my mistake.at Wal-Mart
/. should publish a spread sheet so we can keep up.
Dammit, I forget, is Wal-Mart E-VILLE or not?
It seems
I came from the Inquirer to this /. debate tonight...
What a nice company Lexmark is!
"Check out the facts of the case rather than regurgitating the company-issued spin."
I've checked out the actual facts, not those presented by lying attorneys. The customers preferred the coffee hot, and had no problems unless they poured it into their crotch.
Most consumers don't know about what Lexmark is doing. A person needs to be educated in order to be a customer who makes decisions, not a mindless consumer of goods. To this end I propose those who wish to educate others should get a supply of printable address lables. On these lables should be printed a consumer warning. Be creative. Be funny or serious, but make it simple enough for anyone to understand -- use no technical terms. These printed stickers can then be clandestinely placed on Lexmark printers in the retail store.
Here is one idea:
"Lexmark prohibits you from buying less costly third-party ink cartridges. You may not refill your ink cartridges in order to save money. You Must buy Lexmark brand ink. You Must Obey."
Let's see... so the FTC creates a Bureau of Printer Sticker regulation. Then it creates a National Laboratory for Printer Sticker Testing. This is placed in the district of the congressman who creates it.
Then, when you come up with a nifty new printer, you can't sell it until you send it to the Bureau and they test it for a year to measure the usage. Or alternatively, you can put the sticker on after your own certification, and if they get around to checking, you pay a fine. Of course, being a bureaucracy, they will spend all their time in training and never actually check your certificate - besides they won't have the budget to buy the ink and printer.
This is gonna be great! Maybe you should apply for the job.
Or maybe you should start a web site where people can write their own experience. Or perhaps folks should pressure the industry reviewers to publish the information.
The only good weather is bad weather.