UNITED STATES
HP and Staples Sued Over Anticompetitive Ink Cartridge
Agreement
Computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard Co. and office supply
retailer Staples Inc. face a consumer class action lawsuit for
allegedly agreeing to restrict competition in the market for
laser printer ink cartridges. In December, a California
resident and owner of an HP inkjet printer, Ranjit Bedi, filed
a lawsuit against the companies in the US District Court for
the District of Massachusetts. Bedi claims that HP and Staples
conspired to reduce competition and raise prices in the
HP-compatible ink cartridge market. HP is the US market leader
for both printers and replacement ink cartridges, but earns
higher profits on sales of ink cartridges.
