How a Supreme Court ruling on printer cartridges changes what it means
to buy almost anything
“Last week, the
Supreme Court dealt a major blow to corporations that try to use patent law as
a weapon against other firms, saying that companies can only be sued for patent
infringement in the places they actually do business.
Now, the Court has
ruled again along those same lines, handing a victory to consumer groups in a
case about printer cartridges — or more specifically, toner cartridges, the
kind used by laserjet printers. The case has huge implications for the way we
think about technology ownership in America, and your rights as a user”