Well, here we go again…
It shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, Asian manufacturers have long been accused of infringing on copywrites. Printer cartridges are no exception.
What makes this last law suit suit special is that Lexmark is going after the importers. Unable to successfully sue the makers of printer cartridges in Asia, the’re going after the companies that import them in America.
I agree that it’s natural for a company to protect the patents they paid for. What bugs me is the monopolistic attitude of companies like Lexmark, HP etc.
The printer cartridge recycling business is a major industry which gives way to a healthy competitive market. Thousands of jobs are dependent of this American industry and it’s been an uphill battle to keep it alive. In fact, it’s one of the few markets that has flourished in bad economic times. After all, who doesn’t want to save a buck?
Chris
Pyrolaser.com
Lexmark sues importers of laser cartridges for patent infringement
News Releases
Lexington, Ky. – 08/23/2010
Lexmark sues importers of laser cartridges for patent infringement
Lexmark International, Inc. (NYSE: LXK) announced today that it has filed a patent infringement complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) against 24 companies engaged in the manufacture, importation and sale of replacement cartridges for various Lexmark laser printers and multifunction devices.
The complaint alleges that these replacement cartridges infringe at least 15 U.S. patents owned by Lexmark. Lexmark is requesting that the ITC issue a general exclusion order banning the importation and sale of patent infringing laser cartridges by any entity.
In addition to the ITC complaint, Lexmark has also filed a related patent infringement complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against the same defendants. The District Court complaint contains allegations similar to those in the ITC complaint and seeks injunctive relief, monetary damages and attorneys’ fees.
411 Article | What to Do With Empty Printer Ink Cartridges
What to Do With Empty Printer Ink Cartridges
By: Dave Matthews
People have been using printers with their computers for decades now. From old dot matrix style printers to the newer inkjet printers, they have been part of home life as well as business life for as long as we have used computers. They are useful because we can make instant paper versions of the work we have created onscreen. For example, we may have an important letter to mail to a client. We can type up that letter on screen and print it out, ready for signing and posting. Or, at home, we may have a party invite to create, with some photos from a piece of photo reproduction software. Using our printer, we can make faithful copies of the invite we see on screen, and then deliver it to the people we want to come to the party.
What happens when we run out of ink though? What can we possibly do to make sure that we dispose of our ink cartridges in a more effective and positive way than just tossing them in the bin? There a few things we could do and we can get help doing it too, so there really is no excuse.
If you do find yourself with an empty inkjet cartridge and you need to dispose of it, before you consider using the bin think about the manufacturer it came from. So many manufacturers of ink cartridges run special, locally based schemes where they simply ask you to put the empty cartridge in an envelope and post it off. Companies are beginning to be ethical in their dealings, and inkjet companies are no exception. Some even offer incentives to further persuade you to recycle through them. From discounts off your next cartridge to good old financial reward, inkjet manufacturers make it quite easy for you to dispose of the cartridges in an ethical and safe manner.
Aside from the manufacturer themselves, there are also some other companies that are set up specifically to deal with the problem of empty cartridges. They will offer all sorts of schemes to help you dispose of the empty cartridges. There have been companies that have come by your home to pick up the cartridges for example. Again, these typically offer some form of remuneration. While the may not be able to offer discounts as regards the original manufacturer’s products, they do often offer a small financial incentive to recycle through them.
You could always just refill the empty cartridge using a refill kit that is compatible with your cartridge. These are everywhere now, and you can normally find a shop that will sell a compatible for you. The process of refilling ink cartridges has historically been seen as messy and not always successful as regarding the life of the cartridge. To combat this, you can wear some old clothes while you are doing it, and you can make sure that you use compatible inks and refill the cartridges properly. If both of those measures don’t convince you that refilling is a positive option, then consider the fact that ink cartridges, when added to landfills or burnt, create harmful gases that pollute our atmosphere.
There really is no excuse to have empty cartridges being put in the standard bin. Use outside contractors or the manufacturers to recycle, or just literally recycle the cartridge and get more use out of it.
Author Resource:-> Dave Matthews is writing on behalf of ITLGB, a UK based supplier of quality inkjet printer ink – http://www.itlgb.com/.
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