Update:
- In a joint notice filed July 12 in a California federal court, HP and a certified class of consumers reached a settlement in principle and are working to finalize the agreement.
- Consumers sued the printer company in 2020, alleging it pushed a software update to its printers to make them incompatible with other brands’ ink cartridges.
- They allege HP transmitted firmware updates without authorization to HP printers through the internet, with the first update pushed around Nov. 2020. These firmware updates reportedly act as malware, “adding, deleting or altering code, diminishing the capabilities of HP printers and rendering the competitors’ supply cartridges incompatible with HP printers,” the plaintiffs claim.
HP ink cartridge class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: HP Inc. is being sued by customers.
- Why: The customers allege HP pushed a firmware update that made its printers incompatible with other brands’ ink cartridges.
- Where: Nationwide
(Oct. 16, 2021)
A class action lawsuit alleging HP pushed a software update to its printers to make them incompatible with other brands’ ink cartridges can mostly go ahead, a judge has ruled.
A California federal judge ruled Oct. 15 that most of the class action allegations filed by printer owners against HP, Inc. could go ahead, throwing out only three of the claims.
The claims against HP were first filed in Dec. 2020. The plaintiffs allege that HP transmitted firmware updates without authorization to HP printers through the Internet, with the first update pushed around Nov. 2020.
These firmware updates allegedly act as malware, “adding, deleting or altering code, diminishing the capabilities of HP printers, and rendering the competitors’ supply cartridges incompatible with HP printers,” the plaintiffs said.
HP forced customers to purchase HP ink cartridges, class action alleges
The class action lawsuit said the company told them that HP printers have a “supply problem,” when HP had in fact intentionally caused the issue by sending the “malware” to render third-party ink cartridges incompatible with HP products.
“Plaintiffs allege that as a result of this malware, HP printer owners are either forced to buy HP cartridges or they cannot use their printers until third parties can develop workarounds in their products,” the lawsuit states.
They also allege HP used this firmware update process to conceal the fact it is actually collecting data on whether consumers are using HP or its competitors’ cartridges without their consent.
The lawsuit is looking to represent anyone nationwide who had a HP Color LaserJet Pro M254, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M280, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M281, or any other model affected by HP malware transmissions.
The plaintiffs are Mobile Emergency Housing Corp., Performance Automotive & Tire Center and David Justin Lynch’s.
The plaintiffs are suing under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the California Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act (CDAFA), California False Advertising Law, California Unfair Competition Law and California Consumers Legal Remedies Act.
The order filed Oct. 15 allowed most of the claims to go ahead, apart from allegations regarding one section of CFAA, trespass to chattels and one claim based on one part of CDAFA.
The news comes as HP faces another class action lawsuit, with a consumer alleging that he and others with an HP “Instant Ink” subscription are experiencing faulty, error-prone cartridges.
Do you own an HP printer that suddenly wouldn’t work with other brands’ ink cartridges? Let us know your experience in the comments!
The plaintiffs are represented by Mark L. Javitch of Javitch Law Office and Thomas A. Zimmerman Jr. of Zimmerman Law Offices PC.
The HP Software Update Ink Cartridge Class Action Lawsuit is Mobile Emergency Housing Corp. et al. v. HP Inc., Case No. 5:20-cv-09157, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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1,929 thoughts onHP agrees to settlement in overpriced, incompatible ink cartridge class action
I have an 8710 Printer. I bought compatible ink at a cheaper price. There were three colored cartridges. The first two were installed earlier in 2025 and worked. There was a note saying that if I used this ink, the company would not be responsible. Fine with me! I just installed the third cartridge today and now the computer is rejecting it. I don’t print from home much so these are basically full cartridges. The fixes I have been reading today say “maybe this will work and maybe it won’t.” This is a monopoly and should be illegal. Printers are cheap. The ink is what it pricey.
I have an HP Deskjet 3700 all-in-one series. I’ve had a lot of trouble with it. While under
warranty, I would call tech support & they would spend a lot of time to walk me through it.
I let myself talked into the Insta Ink program. I just don’t use the printer that much & the
ink was accumulating, so I canceled it. That’s when I couldn’t get the printer to work &
I still have the email from them saying it was a problem with the ink & why didn’t I let them
send me some new ink. In the meantime, my neighbor was having the same problem. She
works from home. She tried everything to get her printer to work. She finally gave up &
bought another brand. I had someone to come to my home to work on my computer &
printer & he said he wouldn’t touch a HP printer, they were no good & asked me about the
ink situation. When I told him, he told me about the lawsuit. How can participate in it to
get restitution or are you going to make HP reverse what they are doing. Right now, my
printer is blocked & useless unless I get back on the Insta Ink program. I have plenty of
their ink already. I feel it’s blackmail & Hope something will be done. Thank you.
I have an 8010 series and hp has rendered my printer that I paid for useless unless i sign up with their service and put my printer online. I cannot use other brands of ink due the printer goes into a validating hold and won’t come out of that unless i put hp ink back into the unit. I did a factory reset and that as well did nothing to help. Hp should pay the holders of each of their printer products 10 million each to show this is not going to be accepted practice from any company in the United States. This is like GM shutting your car off and rendering it unusable unless you use their batteries and parts on the car. Pay up HP and learn your lesson that is well deserved!
I have the an HP Office Jet Pro 6968 and it has not allowed me to add anything other ink besides hp cartridges as well as I have been given multiple faulty cartridges from hp instaink program. I have had them for 6+ years and they have just gotten worse and worse over the years. I finally downgraded my plan yet again, because they can never send what I need when I need it. The only reason I have stay d with them this long is because no other ink will work with my printer. They have monopolized my printer and it’s a violation!
I have a Bookkeeping business and now have about 30 printers that won’t work due to ink errors. The printer clearly stats that it’s not hp ink installed and because of that it won’t print.
4 HP printers in my office and they are a paperweight unless you use HP Ink. As expensive as HP ink is, they have a monopoly!! I would rather buy different brand of printers then continue with their games. So Frustrating!
I have an HP OfficeJet Pro 9018e. I managed with great difficulty to refill an HP ink cartridge and get it to work ONCE!!! now HP is rejecting other ink cartridges and will not allow me to print. I view this as a complete violation of any agreement HP reached in relation to class action lawsuits brought against them. Emergency Housing Corp. et al. v. HP Inc., Case No. 5:20-cv-09157
I have my daughter’s HP office jet 4630 and I can’t get it to print even with her HP cartridges. I had my tech friend trying to set up an account with them for over 30 minutes. It seems I can’t use the HP cartridges that she has already paid for. They instructed us to go buy new HP cartridges and then try to set up account again. My daughter had cancelled her instant ink plan and I wanted to set one up!!??? I have 4 sets of cartridges that I can’t use and it won’t accept other brands of cartridges. What’s up with lawsuit. Please add my name.