Printers disabled remotely and ink cartridges blocked: HP caught by a complaint for planned obsolescence

Who has never complained about ink cartridge problems on their printer? Long seen as a blatant symbol of our collective loss of control over digital technology, the cartridge market risks experiencing a small earthquake. The Stop Planned Obsolescence (HOP) association has announced that it is filing a complaint against the manufacturer HP for the offense of planned obsolescence.

While the world leader in the printer sector is now trying to transform its business by selling subscriptions rather than cartridges as was the case for a long time, the company has an inglorious history.

In 2016, the firm, for example, tried to restrict its printers to force users to use cartridges.official” approved by HP. Rebelote in 2024 or the manufacturer was the target of a group action in the United States for the same reasons. Add to that the frequent complaints from users about supposedly full absorber pads and other impossible printing due to lack of cyan, and you obtain a market which has long upset Internet users of all kinds.

And “general fed up“

“On printers, we notice a general feeling of being fed up“. These devices would even have become a “symbol of planned obsolescence“, explains Flavie Vonderscher, head of advocacy at HOP. The association accuses the company of “voluntarily limit the use of reconditioned cartridges“and to have put in place”illegal, unfair and aggressive strategies […] which aim to encourage overconsumption of new brand cartridges“.

More concretely, HOP criticizes the manufacturer for limiting the use of certain third-party or second-hand cartridges or outright “to block […] the entire device, preventing the use of the scanner which does not require ink to operate.“Far from being a bug, this marriage between scanner and cartridge is precisely at the heart of a complaint filed against HP in 2023 in the United States. Opaque”updates“would also make certain cartridges obsolete”older generations“, deplores HOP.

According to the association's complaint, these practices are doubly reprehensible. The disposal of old cartridges would be characteristic of a practice of planned obsolescence of products by software, condemned by article L441-2 of the Consumer Code. As for the “clamping“third-party or reconditioned cartridges that HOP denounces, the practice would fall under the scope of article L. 441-3 which, in turn, condemns”any technique, including software, by which a marketer aims to make the repair or reconditioning of a device impossible“

Remember that, according to French law (which is one of the few to have specific provisions targeting planned obsolescence), such an offense can be worth 2 years of imprisonment, a fine of €300,000 or even a penalty of up to 5% of average annual turnover.

€7,500 per liter of ink

This double condemnation responds to a double affront by HP according to HOP. The association firstly criticizes the brand for pushing consumption and therefore the depletion of the planet's resources, even though these cartridges could be reused instead of being thrown away. According to Ademe, an ink cartridge “remanufactured“would not in fact include”no more than 35% new elements,“significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

The other problem is less ecological than economic. At sometimes €7,500 per liter, the ink in the cartridges can quickly burn a hole in your wallet or even encourage you to buy a printer instead. A situation that is difficult to justify when third-party or reconditioned cartridges are “30 to 70% cheaper than new HP cartridges“, argues HOP. For Flavie Vonderscher, these practices would be “dishonest for consumers, illegal and bad for the environment“. In other words, a perfect subject for the association which is as much concerned with its status as a consumer defense association as with that of a structure committed to defending the environment.

These practices would be dishonest for consumers, illegal and bad for the environment.

“What we are trying to do is to show that the offense of obstructing reconditioning is indirectly planned obsolescence. The two are linked“, estimates the advocacy manager. “If there is an obstacle to reconditioning or repair, there is planned obsolescence.“. Modified by the 2021 law on the digital environmental footprint, the offense of planned obsolescence now has more bite. A modification which allows HOP to envisage a happy ending for its complaint thanks to a “concrete file” against HP.

Alongside this complaint, HOP also posted a petition on its site to “enable consumers to take action“, according to Flavie Vonderscher. The stated goal is “show the manufacturer that there is mobilization on this subject“and to influence the current work carried out by the European Commission on the subject.”We want to show that there is real citizen concern so that the rules on ecodesign are not undermined.“, pleads the manager.