Manufacturers and sellers of ink cartridges speculated that HP had pre-programmed a failure date of unbranded cartridges in the firmware of certain printers. The last firmware update was in March. HP wants its customers to stop using third-party-made ink cartridges. Credit:Ramin Talaie The "timebomb" went off on September 13. HP has since confirmed that it did indeed add stronger protections around its "innovations and intellectual property" via a firmware update. It also says this measure had been pre-installed in its other printers. "Beginning in 2015, HP implemented updates to the firmware related to the security chip in HP OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro and OfficeJet Pro X printers that maintains secure communications between the cartridge and the printer," it says.

"These printers will continue to work with refilled or re-manufactured cartridges with an Original HP security chip. Other cartridges may not function." Owners of HP printers are expressing their outrage on social media. Credit:Ramin Talaie Social media and online help forums are awash with complaints from incensed HP printer owners who for years had relied on affordable cartridges. "It is completely outrageous that HP ha[s] completely sabotaged my HP printer just as I was going to print some very important documents," wrote user Martin35 on HP's official support forum. "The printer is now telling me that my ink cartridges, which have up to now been working perfectly, are now missing or damaged or are older generation cartridges which will not work in my printer. What a load of nonsense."

There are signs that HP has been deleting posts and replies about the error messages in a possible act of covering up the extent of the customer outrage. Consumers have long opted to use unbranded ink cartridges as they are far cheaper than the official ones. In most cases, the cost of replacing cartridges can quickly surpass the cost of the printer. Modern ink cartridges contain both software and hardware components to improve print quality, reduce mistakes and communicate its status. This advancement has allowed manufacturers to sabotage the works of third-party players who profit from re-filling and re-manufacturing cartridges. A price analysis by Choice found that HP's yellow ink 3.5ml cartridge costs $5128 per litre - far more than luxury items such as Chanel No. 5 perfume at $3514 a litre.

Choice is concerned that HP is locking customers into buying only its expensive ink. "Even worse, it's doing this after consumers have already bought the product, meaning they haven't given their customers the opportunity to vote with their wallets and buy a different printer," says spokesman Tom Godfrey. "If consumers bought an HP printer relying on the fact that it could use non-HP ink, and HP has unilaterally taken that functionality away, then there is a risk that the company is breaching consumer law." In particular, Choice is assessing whether HP may have misled or deceived their customers under section 18 of the Australian Consumer Law. "After years of being able to use non-HP ink, consumers have a reasonable expectation that they will be able to continue to choose which ink they will use," he says.

An HP Australia spokeswoman says its printers are designed to be compatible with re-filled and re-manufactured cartridges that use original HP chips. "In many cases the firmware, which serves to protect HP's innovations and intellectual property, came with the concerned HP OfficeJet, OfficeJet Pro and OfficeJet Pro X printers," she says. "The security update was also included in a firmware update which was sent only to customers who either agreed to updates at the time of set-up or who accepted updates in subsequent communications."