Do Compatible Cartridges Void My Printer Warranty Nov 17, 2010 14:06 by Matt Bird

A question we encounter hundreds of times a week is a simple fear for many consumers: Does the use of compatible cartridges void my printer warranty? This is obviously a big concern for our customer base due to Stinkyink being expert retailers of both manufacturer original and third-party cartridges. So can a third party cartridge impact your warranty?

No! Non-branded cartridges have no affect on your printer warranty

It is quite simply illegal for a manufacturer to void your warranty purely due to using a third party cartridge.

What affects my printer warranty

The law. It is stipulated in the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Improvement Act. United States Code Annotated Title 15 Commerce and Trade Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties 15. Section 2302.

and I quote:

(c) No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be waived by the commission if: 1) The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and 2) The Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.

Is there anything else protecting me?

Do not fret, you are not alone! Whilst the profiteering of manufacturers to limit the use of remanufactured/compatible cartridges is frowned upon at a consumer level, it also has significant environmental repercussions which gain the attention of governments!

In early 2002, the European remanufacturing industry achieved a landmark decision passing Article 4 in the WEEE Directive. This Article was specifically aimed at legislating against the use of anti-reuse devices and environmentally unfriendly behaviour of original printer and cartridge manufacturers. This includes cartridge features such as chips which authenticate the cartridge with the printer, thus blocking the use of future recycling.

MEPs produced one of the most extraordinary votes seen on such an amendment, passing it by 579 votes to 9.

This wasn’t enough, and a Directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment was passed. {2002/96/EC] states that by 2007 the act of circumventing EU recycling rules will be outlawed, blocking companies which design products with features such as chips that block recycling.

With manufacturers continuing claims for patent-breach on remanufacturers, whilst trying to find a balance with recycling laws, it will be interesting to see where the market goes. But rest assured we will continue sourcing our quality tested, high performing compatible and remanufactured cartridges!