HP To Issue 'Optional Firmware Update' Allowing 3rd-Party Ink (arstechnica.com)

Soon after the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) issued a letter to HP, calling for them to apologize to customers for releasing firmware that prevents the use of non-HP ink cartridges and refilled HP cartridges, the company has responded with a temporary solution. HP "will issue an optional firmware update that will remove the dynamic security feature" for certain OfficeJet printers. Ars Technica reports: HP made its announcement in a blog post titled "Dedicated to the best printing experience." "We updated a cartridge authentication procedure in select models of HP office inkjet printers to ensure the best consumer experience and protect them from counterfeit and third-party ink cartridges that do not contain an original HP security chip and that infringe on our IP," the company said. The recent firmware update for HP OfficeJet Pro, and OfficeJet Pro X printers "included a dynamic security feature that prevented some untested third-party cartridges that use cloned security chips from working, even if they had previously functioned," HP said. For customers who don't wish to be protected from the ability to buy less expensive ink cartridges, HP said it "will issue an optional firmware update that will remove the dynamic security feature. We expect the update to be ready within two weeks and will provide details here." This customer-friendly move may just be a one-time thing. HP said it will continue to use security features that "protect our IP including authentication methods that may prevent some third-party supplies from working." Without the optional firmware update, printers will only be able to use third-party ink cartridges that have an "original HP security chip," the company said.

Comments

Re: The only thing "protected" is profit

[Anonymous Coward]

Funny you mention coffee. Take a look into Keurig's business model.

"New company?"

[Man On Pink Corner]

HP engineers the best and most-secure printing systems in the world. We strive to always provide the highest-quality experiences for our customers and partners. As a new company, we are committed to transparency in all of our communications and when we fall short, we call ourselves out.

WT actual F?

HP was "new" in 1939 when they sold audio oscillators to Walt Disney to help develop the sound systems needed for Fantasia. Learn your history, dweeb. If Fred Terman could see your company now, he'd kick Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard out of EE school and then shoot himself.

There's a reason why the very first verb in the very first sentence of the Wikipedia article on Hewlett-Packard is "Was."

Re:"New company?"

[Solandri]

If Fred Terman could see your company now, he'd kick Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard out of EE school and then shoot himself.

FWIW, Bill Hewlett and his son fought tooth and nail against gutting HP of everything except the computer and printer businesses, and the merger with Compaq. (Dave Packard died in 1996 before these shenanigans began.) They lost. The board and Fiorina won, and "succeeded" in turning HP from a high-tech company into a computer/printer parts reseller (buy tech developed by other companies like Intel, Samsung, Nvidia, and assemble them into a computer to sell to the general public).

!!!! Do not buy INK printers !!!!

[xose]

See "The Dirty Little Secret Of Inkjet Printers":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycD4XkUtbIw

Laser ones are cheap enough. Jus follow this page recommendations.
Top 5 laser printers for refilling:
http://www.urefilltoner.co.uk/test-lab-printer-reviews.html

Re:So, the fascist douchehammers stepped back.

[Anonymous Coward]

That was added by the editor or the person who submitted the story. Notice that it is outside the quotes.

They can't even hide it.

[The MAZZTer]

Before I get into it, I must admit it's not clear if refilled cartridges work or not. I think we have just some anecdotes that they don't but it could be isolated cases. So HP's claims there might have merit.

Now that that's over with, I want to draw your attention to this gem that caught my eye from HP's statements:

We updated a cartridge authentication procedure in select models of HP office inkjet printers to ensure the best consumer experience and protect them from counterfeit and third-party ink cartridges that do not contain an original HP security chip and that infringe on our IP,

This is amazing when you break it down. First of all you have this reasonable part:

We updated a cartridge authentication procedure in select models of HP office inkjet printers to ensure the best consumer experience and protect them from counterfeit and third-party ink cartridges

So far so good. Without any context it seems a reasonable enough statement.

that

The use of "that" here, though, indicates they are talking about a specific subset of counterfeit or third party ink cartridges (or that they believe all of them fit the following criteria). This is where they shoot themselves in the foot I think.

do not contain an original HP security chip

So, in other words, they are requiring you to only buy cartridges with their DRM in order to ensure you only buy cartridges with their DRM. Great circular logic there. But the best part is next:

and that infringe on our IP,

Why do they infringe? Because big companies have lobbied for laws to give themselves more power when it comes to their IP, and its these laws that give HP the authority to do what they do (as opposed to laws that might protect creators of competitive products). So HP's reasoning here is because it's legal, they're gonna do it. So if you strip away will the corporate speak, their OFFICIAL statement is not too far from that they're doing it because they thought they could get away with it.