If
your printer service representative tells you your warranty is void
if you use recycled printer cartridges, inform him/her that it is
illegal to require or force the owner of equipment to use the Original
Equipment Manufacturer's (OEM) brand of supplies. To do so is in
violation of the following Federal laws:
An example of this issue was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court
in the case of IBM vs. the United States. IBM leased data processing
machines to customers requiring that they use only the tabulating
cards manufactured by IBM. Their customers were threatened with
termination of their lease if they used cards produced by other
manufacturers. A decision by the Supreme Court held that this requirement
would constitute a "tying agreement" and was found to
be in violation of the antitrust laws.
This is a Federal Trade Commission Act regarding Consumer Product Warranties. Sub-paragraph
C, section 101 of the Act states:
No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or
implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection
with such product, any article or service (other than article or
service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty)
which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name; except that
the prohibition of this subsection may be waived by the Commission
if -- (1) the warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted
product will function properly only if the article or service so
identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and
(2) the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.
If your sales or service representative tells you the warranty on your
equipment will be void if you use our cartridges, please
ask them to provide you with a written statement to that effect
on their company letterhead, signed and dated. Then give
us a call at 1-877-247-7879, or send the statement with a note to
our office at PO Box 2947 Iowa City, IA 52244. We'll contact you
as soon as we receive it.