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from the seems-pretty-black-and-white-to-me dept.
A corporate squabble over printer toner cartridges doesn't sound particularly glamorous, and the phrase "patent exhaustion" is probably already causing your eyes to glaze over. However, these otherwise boring topics are the crux of a Supreme Court case that will answer a question with far-reaching impact for all consumers: Can a company that sold you something use its patent on that product to control how you choose to use after you buy it?
The case in question is Impression Products, Inc v Lexmark International, Inc, came before the nation's highest court on Tuesday.
As with many SCOTUS disputes, Lexmark is a devil-in-the-details case that could have wide-ranging implications for basically everyone who ever buys anything — so, all of us.
Here's the background: Lexmark makes printers. Printers need toner in order to print, and Lexmark also happens to sell toner.
Then there's Impression Products, a third-party company makes and refills toner cartridges for use in printers, including Lexmark's.
Lexmark, however, doesn't want that; if you use third-party toner cartridges, that's money that Lexmark doesn't make. So it sued, which brings us to the legal chain that ended up at the Supreme Court.
Source: Consumerist
(Score: 2) by VLM on Monday March 27 2017, @07:56PM (3 children)
It doesn't really work like that with COTS stuff WRT military NSNs and whatever GSA uses for non-military purchases
http://www.armyproperty.com/Resources/NSN-Listings/Printers.htm [armyproperty.com]
You request a printer like requesting a vehicle part, like getting issued a power cable.
The way supply works is interesting. Aside from NSNs which are more or less like a UPC code, there are also DODIC codes which are kind of commodity short names for wordy things, and lot numbers which are serial numbers for commodities. Adding to the fun commodities usually have a NSN too.
The Venn diagram is anything with a DODIC and a lot number has a NSN but not everything with a NSN has a DODIC and lot number if its not an interchangeable commodity.
I bet you could get a DODIC for bulk toner for refills, but its mysterious how you'd get "generic commodity laser printer" thru that system.
Sometimes I get nostalgic for the good old days when I was in the Army, then something like this comes along to remind me why I'm happy to be out.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 27 2017, @08:09PM (2 children)
How do they handle ordering something like printer paper? I know it all doesn't come from the same manufacturer.
I mean they cant have a different NSN for different brands of letter sized paper of a standard weight.
If they can manage that then you should be able to have a generic laser printer with the same minimum specs.
I remember our MREs used to be made by different companies. Somedays everyone would have them marked manufactured by this company in GA, a week later another company in Texas. The only noticable difference would be some companies wed find more M&M and some more Skittles. If they can order generic meals from multiple companies I would assume generic printers are just as feasible. Maybe this one is slightly faster, or this one has the extra setup to duplex, but you should still be able to narrow it down to a handful of different models that all use the same consumables.
(Score: 2) by jmorris on Monday March 27 2017, @09:14PM
Not proposing a generic standardized printer, only the toner and drum. Once those are a standard commodity the printers can't lock you to their consumables but can be as innovative in other ways as they want to be. MFP devices for example.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday March 27 2017, @09:33PM
How do they handle ordering something like printer paper? I know it all doesn't come from the same manufacturer.
You hope it doesn't come from a single manufacturer. I recall prior to the Iraqi invasion, they had one source for small arms ammunition even though there were probably dozens of businesses that could have made it to their exacting specifications.