Hewlett-Packard ink cartridges use a chip technology to sense when they are low on ink and advise the user to make a change. A law suit claims those chips also shut down the cartridges at a predetermined date regardless of whether they are empty or not.
The suit says: "The smart chip is dually engineered to prematurely register ink depletion and to render a cartridge unusable through the use of a built-in expiration date that is not revealed to the consumer.”
“The suit, which seeks class-action status, asks for restitution, damages and other compensation.” Hewlett-Packard “does not comment on pending litigation.”
My personal experience with HP ink cartridges has shown the ink levek indicators to be very inaccurate. They invariably show the ink level lower than it really is. However, I keep using them until they no longer print properly. I almost always get 20 percent of the total copies after the indicators advise changing the cartridge.
While this is annoying, I have not found that cartridges stop feeding ink when the indicator first says it is time to change. Link to story here.
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