Canon sued for disabling scanner when printers run out of ink October 16, 2021 https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ne...sabling-scanner-when-printers-run-out-of-ink/
David Leacraft, a customer of Canon, filed the class action lawsuit on Tuesday alleging deceptive marketing and unjust enrichment by the printer manufacturer. I hope he wins!
That is a pretty scumbag thing to do on Canon's part. Sending a fax does not involve printing, so it should always work to send a fax from a print copy on the scanner bed by using the front panel menu. And being a network capable device, you should always be able to log into the device with your computer's browser and send a fax from your computer. Same for scanning a document directly to your PC - again without needing to print anything. While it is not a high-end device from Canon, with a MSRP of $200, it is not an entry-level device either. If printing is not involved, users should still be able to scan and fax, regardless the amount of ink in the cartridges. I would be okay with it requiring cartridges be installed - but it should not matter if they are empty or not. The suit is asking for $5 million in awards, plus fees. Canon is worth nearly $25 billion. $5 million is pocket change.
Shouldn't there be some kind of criminal penalty also? The all-in-one is YOUR property. Canon's move to prevent you from using your property is illegal. Throw the ink cartridge at 'em.
If its an all in one product, maybe the components work together. Canon doesn't have a defense if it disables other product functions unrelated to printing just to get people to refill the printer.
There has to be a specific law that has been violated. Not sure that is the case here. I generally despise lawyers because I honestly feel they are the primary reason healthcare and insurance, among other things, is so expensive. But in this case, I hope the prosecution can find some criminal offense to charge Canon with.
Large companies are increasingly mistreating their customers, and many times they get away with it. Like Bill_Bright said above, 5 million is pocket change to them. They will weigh the amount they will make by forcing users to buy new ink cartridges versus the 5 million lawsuit and continue doing what they are doing if they make more money forcing users to buy ink cartridges, unless the courts find their business practices unlawful in the Country the Lawsuit is being filed in.
Simply finding those practices unlawful is not enough - for the reasons you noted earlier; a wimpy slap on the wrist doesn't even make them flinch. They need to (1) be slapped with a significant fine that gets the attention of their shareholders and investors. And (2) the C-level execs need to be facing jail time that gets the attention of other C-level execs in other companies and industries too. They need to learn and understand that the incentive to treat the customer right pays better in the long run than the incentive to make an extra $ today.
This would be wonderful, a blessing. It would restore my faith in human justice. How dare the upper management of Canon do the consumer like that? Whether manufactured deliberately to run dependently on other components or not, it's a crime to limit one's personal use of any of one's property. It's like a ransom in the form of requiring to purchase an ink cartridge. How would these fat cats like it if I told them they couldn't hang out on their own front porches? Or step on their own lawns? Or...?
