Items tagged with Lexmark
Score one for the little guys. In a precedent-setting decision handed down this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a company’s patent rights are forfeited once they sell an item to a consumer under the “first sale” doctrine. This idea was central to Impression Products, Inc. v Lexmark Int’l, Inc. and is a major blow to companies that sell their printers for (relatively) low prices and then recoup any losses on the sale of expensive ink and toner cartridges. Lexmark originally set its sights on Impression Products, which is a small company that specializes in remanufacturing print cartridges...
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Printers are expensive. Recycling and selling used/refilled printer ink cartridges has often been seen as a way to recoup the money that often gets sunk into the cash cow of the printer business - the ink itself. The ruling of Impression Products, Inc. v Lexmark Int’l, Inc, a recent and rather obscure court case, could potentially change how printer ink cartridge items are used, recycled, restored and resold, once they have been purchased by a customer. Impression Products is a small business that specializes in buying and re-manufacturing used printer cartridges. Lexmark International, Inc. recently...
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You knew this was coming sooner or later. Kodak has been winding down its businesses and has finally gotten around to its consumer inkjet printers, which were popular (but not popular enough) for using long-lasting ink cartridges. Kodak plans to continue selling those ink cartridges long after it officially shuts down the inkjet printer business in 2013. Kodak isn’t the only one departing the inkjet printer arena. Lexmark has also announced plans to stop selling its inkjet printers. That leaves Epson and HP with some elbow room in the market, though it’s not...
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Lexmark has been a mainstay in the inkjet printer business for as long as we can remember, so it comes as a bit of a shock that the company is bowing out of the segment as part of an aggressive restructuring plan to cut costs. By ceasing development and manufacturing of inkjet hardware, Lexmark estimates it will save some $95 million annually. "Today's announcement represents difficult decisions, which are necessary to drive improved profitability and significant savings," said Paul Rooke, Lexmark chairman and chief executive officer. "Our investments are focused on higher value imaging and software...
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