When we buy a printer, the first thing that all manufacturers tell us is that we must use original cartridges. Otherwise, we run the risk of being left without a printer and, in addition, without being covered by the guarantee. Afterwards, we are free to use the cartridges we want, running these risks or not. Less if we have bought one hp printer, who forced us to use, yes or yes, their own cartridges. Now, this measure has been expensive.
The problem that many users who bought an HP printer have encountered is that the manufacturer introduced a functionality called “Dynamic Security«. This security measure was intended to improve the user experience and help them maintain the integrity of their printers. But, as part of this, the use of third-party cartridges that did not have the chip or electronic circuit that this manufacturer placed in their cartridges was blocked. In short, after buying and updating the printer firmware, it was impossible to use non-HP cartridges, degrading the possibilities that they did have at the beginning.
User complaints were not long in coming, to which the manufacturer responded with a new firmware update that removed this functionality from many of the affected models. However, users have been affected by this issue for a long time, leading some to take legal action against HP. And, finally, we already know the results.
HP shall indemnify each user
In the United States, the printing giant must pay 1.5 million dollars, with a total of up to 150 dollars per plaintiff. But in Europe you will also have to similarly compensate all affected users. as reported Euroconsumers, who has led the crusade against this company, have reached an agreement in which HP agrees to pay 1.35 million dollars to compensate those affected by what has been called “PrinterGate”.
At the moment, only users from Belgium, Italy, Spain and Portugal will be eligible for compensation, although the list of countries could grow.
In order to be eligible for this compensation, we must meet certain requirements:
- Own or have owned an HP printer from the lines OfficeJet Pro or PageWide Pro between September 1, 2016 and November 17, 2022.
- The specific model must be specified here.
Depending on the model, the compensation that HP will offer us varies between 20 and 50 euros. Additionally, those who prove specific losses caused by this feature may obtain up to an additional 45 euros beyond the initial compensation.
Update your printer firmware now
If you haven’t done this yet, and your printer keeps showing a warning when using non-genuine cartridges and preventing you from printing, you can easily fix it. In this link we can find everything related to the PrinterGate, the affected printers and a new firmware update that removes the dynamic security function. It will be enough to use the HP program to update the firmware of the printer and remove this functionality to be able to use the white label cartridges again.
