TCPglobal - news, views and issues on total cost of printing

Issue #0927 is dedicated to another brief look at significant recent activity in the battle by printer manufacturers to protect their intellectual property. Hewlett-Packard and Epson are involved, with Epson being the target in two cases rather than the aggressor. Issue #0927 comprises three articles: "Epson finalises settlement in respect of a class action brought by customers in Canada – was Epson guilty?"; "Countersuit brought against Epson by Green Project Inc."; "Hewlett-Packard takes on multiple third party suppliers for patent infringement". – END -

Issue 0927/1 – Epson has settled out of court in a class action, brought by customers in Canada, alleging that Epson was guilty of “depriving the Class Members from fully benefiting from the Epson Inkjet Cartridges they purchased”. Perhaps a grey area, Epson has taken the swift, but costly, exit route by offering all Epson inkjet customers a compensation package, while not admitting any liability. But, was the class action justified? What was Epson actually guilty of?

Issue 0927/2 – In an intriguing retaliation, Green Project Inc., a Californian-based ink and toner cartridge recycler, recently issued a countersuit against Epson America Inc. and Seiko Epson Corp., alleging “trade secret misappropriation and trespass” while denying Epson’s allegation against Green Project of patent infringement.

Issue 0927/3 – In a mass lawsuit, Hewlett-Packard has filed a complaint against a total of eleven third party supplies manufacturers and resellers in an attempt to block the importation and sales of ink cartridges and other related items into the US. Hewlett-Packard alleges that the items infringe patent protection on its intellectual property.

Issue #0926/2 – Not only has Samsung pushed up its colour print speed capability, to place a colour printer firmly into the fast colour laser bracket capable of serving the corporate environment, but it has done so with cost characteristics that blow most competitors out of the water. In addition to the Samsung CLP-770ND, this 30-35ppm colour laser printer market segment has recently seen a number of new machines - Canon iSENSYS LBP-7750Cdn, HP CLJ CP3525dn, Kyocera FS-C5400DN, Lexmark C736dn – compared here.