HP Resolves Ink Cartridge Patent Infringement with Ninestar

PALO ALTO, Calif., HP today announced that it has resolved patent violation issues with China-based Ninestar Image Co., Ltd. relating to HP 02 and HP 14 inkjet cartridges.(1)

As part of the settlement, Ninestar acknowledges that HP’s patents are valid and infringed, and has agreed to stop selling the cartridges in question in the United States and other countries where HP has corresponding patent rights. Additionally, the company has agreed to pay HP an undisclosed sum of money.

“HP is committed to defending its investment in intellectual property and will continue to vigorously pursue legal enforcement against practices that do not respect HP’s IP rights,” said Stephen Nigro, senior vice president, Inkjet and Web Services Business, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “We are pleased with the timely resolution of this matter and will continue to monitor the marketplace for intellectual property infringements as part of our commitment to worldwide testing and enforcement efforts.”

This is HP’s second patent violation issue with Ninestar. In July 2006, HP filed complaints with both the U.S. District Court and the International Trade Commission for patent infringement relating to a different set of inkjet cartridges. The parties reached a settlement in March 2007 in which Ninestar admitted the validity of HP’s patents and agreed to remove its products from specified countries.

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(1) In countries outside of the United States, the HP 02 ink cartridge may be known by different product numbers, such as HP 363, 177 or 801.