HP printers stop accepting third party ink en masse

From BoingBoing

On September 13, owners of HP OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro and OfficeJet Pro X began contacting third-party ink vendors by the thousand, reporting that their HP printers no longer accepted third-party ink.

The last HP printer firmware update was pushed in March 2016, and it appears that with that update (or possibly an earlier one), HP had set a time-bomb ticking in its customers' printers counting down to the date when they'd begin refusing to follow their owners' orders.

HP says that the March update's purpose was "to protect HP's innovations and intellectual property."

See also HP printers start rejecting budget ink cartridges

What is WIPO? an international intellectual property system.

Check out this hsearch database for international trademark (Madrid System)


From WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was established in 1970... The Organization became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1974... Based in Geneva, with an international staff of some 1,300 employees, WIPO counts 184 Member States – more than 90 percent of the world’s countries. WIPO is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.

What is intellectual property?

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind. It is divided into two categories:
•Industrial property includes patents for inventions, trademarks, industrial designs, integrated circuits and geographical indications.
•Copyright and related rights cover literary and artistic expressions (e.g. novels, poems, plays, films, music, artistic works and architecture), and the rights of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and broadcasters in their radio and television broadcasts.

What are intellectual property rights?

Intellectual property rights allow the creators – or owners of patents, trademarks or copyrighted works – to benefit from their own work or investment in a creation. These rights are outlined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which provides for the right to benefit from the protection of moral and material interests resulting from authorship of any scientific, literary or artistic work.

Why does intellectual property need to be promoted and protected?

There are several compelling reasons. First, the progress and well-being of humanity rest on its capacity to create and invent new works in the areas of technology and culture. Second, the legal protection of these new creations encourages the expenditure of additional resources, leading to further innovation. Third, the promotion and protection of intellectual property spurs economic growth, creates new jobs and industries, and enhances the quality and enjoyment of life.

Nifty intellectual property links

In addition to the US Copyright Office and the US Patent and Trademark Office, check out:

Intellectual Property Infringement and Other Unfair Acts. Section 337 investigations conducted by the U.S. International Trade Commission most often involve claims regarding intellectual property rights, including allegations of patent infringement and trademark infringement by imported goods

A list of Who’s Who in the U.S. Gov’t involved in IP

Copyright:
Taking the Mystery Out of Copyright (for students and teachers)
The Copyright Society of the USA
The Stanford Copyright and Fair Use Center
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States [Chart]
Crash Course in Copyright from the University of Texas
Copyright Navigator by Lionel S. Sobel

U.S. trading partners and intellectual property rights

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual "Special 301" Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners' protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) [PDF].

The Special 301 Report provides a means for the United States to promote the protection and enforcement of IPR. In the Report, USTR announced that Malaysia has been removed from the Watch List after making significant strides, including passing copyright amendments that strengthen copyright protection, stepped-up IPR enforcement, and promulgating regulations to protect pharmaceutical test data. In addition, Spain has been removed from the Watch List because of its adoption of regulations implementing a law to combat piracy over the Internet. Ukraine is being moved to the Priority Watch List from the Watch List in light of serious and growing concerns relating to counterfeiting and rampant piracy, including piracy over the Internet.