A Contentious Case Settles with HP Inc.

Originally published at wirthconsulting.

HP Printer Owners Eligible for Class-Action Settlement Payment

A contentious case involving users being blocked from using HP inkjet printers after installing third-party ink cartridges appears to be over. Yesterday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a press release stating that a settlement has been reached with HP Inc. in the class-action lawsuit concerning Dynamic Security, a technology HP installed with some of its inkjet printers.

The plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit alleged that Dynamic Security caused their HP printers to stop working if they were using certain non-HP replacement ink cartridges.

Under the settlement, HP agreed not to reactivate Dynamic Security in the affected printers and to pay $1.5 million. HP denies that it did anything wrong.

Class Members are included in the settlement if they owned one of the following printers between March 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017. The printers are:

HP OfficeJet Pro 6230, 6830, 6835
HP OfficeJet 6812, 6815, 6820
HP OfficeJet Pro 8610, 8615, 8616, 8620, 8625, 8630
HP OfficeJet Pro X451dn, X451dw, X476dn, X476dw, X551dw, X576dw

To get money from the settlement, class members must have had a Class Printer experience a print interruption while using a working non-HP replacement ink cartridge between March 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017.

Class Members can get reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses such as the cost of replacement cartridges, a replacement printer, or printing or printer repair services. Class Members can make a claim and attach receipts or other documentation of their losses. Or, Class Members can make a claim for lost money or time without attaching documentation by providing the information requested on the Claim Form about their print interruption. The settlement money will be used to pay all documented claims first, with any remaining money divided equally among all class members. The amount of money claimants will get will depend on the number and type of claims submitted.

To receive money, Class Members must submit a completed Claim Form postmarked by March 8, 2019. Class Members can make a claim at www.HPPrinterFirmwareLawsuit.com. Class Members can also contact the Claims Administrator to request a paper Claim Form by telephone at 1-877-861-1101 or by U.S. mail at HP Printer Firmware Claims Administrator, PO Box 4079, Portland, OR 97208-4079, and submit the Claim Form to the same U.S. mail address or Fax it to 1-866-741-1848.

Class Members who wish to be excluded from the Settlement must submit their opt-out request online or by mail postmarked by March 13, 2019. Class Members who submit a Claim Form or do nothing will be bound by the settlement and will give up their right to sue HP concerning Dynamic Security. Class Members who do not opt out may comment on or object to the Settlement by March 26, 2019. For more information, visit www.HPPrinterFirmwareLawsuit.com.

The court will hold a hearing on April 25, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. to consider whether to approve the Settlement. The Court will also consider requests by lawyers for the class-action lawsuit for HP to pay their attorneys’ fees and costs, as well as service awards for the representative class plaintiffs, separately from the $1.5 million fund. The date or time of the hearing may change. Check www.HPPrinterFirmwareLawsuit.com for updates.