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.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
1,753 thoughts onHP agrees to settlement in overpriced, incompatible ink cartridge class action
Add me. I have used HP products for many years. There ink cartridges are double competitors
This happened in my office! S
This happened at my office! A firmware update occurred and suddenly NO printer could use recycled cartridges.
I had an hp printer that I have switched between their brand for ink and another off brand, depending on my business budget. I used an off brand ink cartridges and my printer completely stopped working. I had to buy a new printer.
I have bought two HP printers and signed up for hp ink refills. Big mistake. If you don’t keep up with their ink, the printer will not let you print at all. That’s why I bought a second one. Now it’s happened all over again with a more expensive HP printer. Now it doesn’t work and tells me to contact HP. I won’t buy another HP printer.
I purchased an HP Envy 4502 in 2017. I have tried other ink cartridges but they would not work. Please add me.
I have 2 HP printers and I was signed up for Instant Ink for years. Often the cartridges sent to me by HP would say incompatible when. I put them in my printer. HP would wait months before they replaced the cartridges but they never failed to charge my credit card every month. Since they started this new program to get a printer and instant ink, all a sudden my printer registers as being off line, nothing I do can make it work. Although I repeatedly informed HP, they did nothing and continued to charge me, even though they knew my printer wasn’t working and I was not printing. When I canceled Instant Ink, my print all if a sudden can now connect, but unfortunately I can’t print because they have locked it do I can use it anymore
I bought their and it didn’t work and they wouldn’t give me a ŕefund.
Please add me.
Have had this problem with my HP Officejet for years. Had to return non-HP cartridges when I would try to use another brand.
I’m in on this one!
Please Add Me