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A comment on HP rolled out update blocking 3rd party ink cartridges. Parent comment

Re:HP rolled out update blocking 3rd party ink cartridges by AstixAndBelix on Wednesday March 08, 2023 @07:11AM (#35068062)
Absolutely not because printer patents will kill you.

There are a handful of companies that hold all the patents necessary to build a printer. If you try to build one from scratch "taking inspiration" from consumer ones you will be sued into oblivion

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Re:HP rolled out update blocking 3rd party ink cartridges by pbhjpbhj on Wednesday March 08, 2023 @07:21AM (#35068142)
Patent terms for printers would be at most 20 years. Perfectly good laser printers existed >20 years ago. You can tear down an old printer and make a clone of all functional and non-artistic aspects without infringing IP. In theory, patent specifications should provide a manual to help make any once-patented aspects of the device.

Indeed, that's the goal, in part, of the patent system to make technologies available in return for a time-limited monopoly.

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Re:HP rolled out update blocking 3rd party ink cartridges by otherme123 on Wednesday March 08, 2023 @08:29AM (#35068726)
Literally, what happened to 3D printers: a zombie/niche sector until the FDM patents expired in 2009.
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