Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Think you own your printer cartridge? Think again

Sally Herships Mar 27, 2017
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Think you own your printer cartridge? Think again

Sally Herships Mar 27, 2017
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Don’t you hate it when you run out printer cartridges? There’s that thorny question: should you buy name brand or one of those less-expensive cartridges that’s been re-filled? Well, that decision may soon be made for you. Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Impression Products Inc. v. Lexmark International Inc. Lexmark, a manufacturer of printers and cartridges, claims that as part of a condition of its sales, the cartridges it manufactures are protected and cannot be resold. Impression Products, which re-fills cartridges, disagrees. This seemingly small lawsuit could affect the resale of goods of all kinds.

Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.