Update:ย
- 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.ย
- Consumers sued the printer company in 2020, alleging it pushed a software update to its printers to make them incompatible with other brandsโ ink cartridges.ย
- 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, โadding, deleting or altering code, diminishing the capabilities of HP printers and rendering the competitorsโ supply cartridges incompatible with HP printers,โ 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 brandsโ 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 brandsโ 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.ย
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, โadding, deleting or altering code, diminishing the capabilities of HP printers, and rendering the competitorsโ supply cartridges incompatible with HP printers,โ 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 โsupply problem,โ when HP had in fact intentionally caused the issue by sending the โmalwareโ to render third-party ink cartridges incompatible with HP products.ย
โPlaintiffs 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,โ the lawsuit states.ย
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 competitorsโ cartridges without their consent.ย
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.ย
The plaintiffs are Mobile Emergency Housing Corp., Performance Automotive & Tire Center and David Justin Lynchโs.
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 โInstant Inkโ subscription are experiencing faulty, error-prone cartridges.ย
Do you own an HP printer that suddenly wouldnโt work with other brandsโ ink cartridges? Let us know your experience in the comments!ย
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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1,748 thoughts onHP agrees to settlement in overpriced, incompatible ink cartridge class action
Please add me OMG I thought it was just me and something wrong with my printer
Please add me. I had owned nothing but HP printers until they started pulling this BS. I too got the update, and it no longer liked my cartridges that had just been working. When I found out what it was and that I could not roll back the update, I sent the HP to the E-Recycle place and bought a Brother printer in its place. I have owned 15-20 HP printers so far, Iโll never own another after this.
Please add me to the HP settlement
Add me please
Add me! This printer ink is expensive as hell since I canโt use generic versions.
Add meโฆ just went through this problem
Add me please
Oh my God, I knew it was some kind of problem. My printer was fine then there was an update and then all the sudden my cartridges wouldnโt work it started to a qtr of the page then it would be lines of color with nothing being readable, I called they told me after a bunch of hassle that they were no longer going to be able to supply support and that I should up grade to a new HP printer. So I was forced to buy a new printer so I could do printer I literally just threw away a perfectly good printer. Modern day crooks HP!!!
Please add me to the lawsuit!!!!!
Please add me. Iโve had ongoing issues for years regarding compatibility with cartridges. Thank you!
Please add me as well I have had the HP ink program for the last 4 to 5 years with the same issues
I have a 8020e printer. When I wanted to scan, I was forced to update the firmware and not I can no longer print with non HP cartridges. The occurred AFER the supposed settlement so HP is doing nothing about this. My all in one printer cost over 200 and the authentic ink runs about 100 to replace all of them. If I can not use non HP ink it is less expensive in the long run to just get another printer.
add me please
Please add me, Iโm a. Victim and didnโt know where to start since itโs a subscription,
Hello I have had multiple problems with this HP service. Every time I try to print. I canโt cause some hidden feelings that I swore I just paid pops up again!
Add me, I went through the same thing