4/14/2024 0 Comments Rules for monopolyThere are various factors that could contribute to a product's price increasing, though.Monopoly house rules, which are unofficial rules created by players by accident or intent, can present challenges during gameplay. We found that ink prices for some-but not all- of HP's ink cartridges did, in fact, increase in late 2022 and early 2023. But Ars Technica had a quick look at Amazon pricing, via Camelcamelcamel, for some of HP's ink offerings that, as of this writing, closely match (within cents) the pricing on HP's website. The lawsuit doesn't cite a source to back up its price-hike claims. The lawsuit accuses HP of raising prices on its ink "in the same time period" that it issued its late 2022 and early 2023 firmware updates, which "create a monopoly in the aftermarket for replacement cartridges, permitting to raise prices without fear of being undercut by competitors. HP effectively monopolized the aftermarket for replacement ink cartridges in violation of federal and state antitrust laws, which forced HP printer owners to purchase only HP-branded ink at high prices and lose the value of any non-HP branded replacement ink cartridges. When reached for comment, Peggy Wedgworth, a senior partner at the Milberg law firm and one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in this case, told Ars Technica: The new lawsuit claims that HP's firmware updates forced customers to buy HP-brand ink that costs more than competitors. The printers use the Dynamic Security measures to block cartridges using non-HP chips or modified or non-HP electronic circuitry." Conveniently timed priced hikes? HP says Dynamic Security is meant to "protect the quality of our customer experience, maintain the integrity of our printing systems, and protect our intellectual property." HP's Dynamic Security page says that HP printers with the feature "are intended to work only with cartridges that have new or reused HP chips or electronic circuitry. whether it's Instant Ink, plus adding on that paper, we sort of see a 20 percent uplift on the value of that customer because you're locking that person, committing to a longer-term relationship," Myers said, as quoted by The Register. "We absolutely see when you move a customer from that pure transactional model. Last month, HP CFO Marie Myers praised the company's movement from transactional models to forcing customers into continuous buys through offerings like Instant Ink, HP's monthly ink subscription program. ![]() HP is proud of its strategy of locking in printer customers. Therefore, once consumers purchase their printers, the Dynamic Security firmware updates lock them into purchasing HP-branded ink. it is not practical or economically rational to purchase a new printer in order to avoid purchasing HP replacement ink cartridges. Additionally, the lawsuit highlights the fact that the use of non-HP ink cartridges doesn't break HP's printer warranty. The lawsuit also questions HP's practice of encouraging people to register their printers and then quietly releasing updates that change the printers' functionality. ![]() ![]() HP was wrong to issue a firmware update affecting printer functionality, and users were not notified that accepting firmware updates "could damage any features of the printer," the lawsuit says.
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