[greenyes] FW: Inkjet Cartridge Destruction - Enforced Obsolescence

["Robin Ingenthron" <robin@no.address>]

From: Robin Ingenthron [mailto:robin@no.address] 
Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 1:40 PM
To: 'greenyes-digest-help@no.address'
Subject: RE: Inkjet Cartridge Destruction - Enforced Obsolescence

Inkjet Cartridge Discussion

http://att.com.com/2100-1001_3-949914.html

I visited one of the neighborhoods where hundreds of Chinese cartridge
refurbishers were arrested and accused of "counterfeiting" following a
$6M payment from a major brand manufacturer to the Chinese EPA.

http://www.laserpage.com/recycling-fraud.htm

The refilled cartridges were, I was told, burned in the street BY THE
OFFICIALS as an "anti-counterfeit" measure (see industry mag photo above
which actually implies it was the recyclers burning the catridges).  I
don't know which is correct.

This is just to note that the ISSUE is not recycling at all, it is that
major printer manufacturers followed a "Gilette strategy" (don't make
money on the razor, you make your money on the blades) and gave away
their printers for several years hoping to make money on $40 refill
cartridges.

http://www.interex.org/hpworldnews/hpw205/pub_hpw_news1.jsp

The free market in China and Malaysia (and now other places including
Viet Nam) responded by refurbishing the cartridges and reselling them.

The "gray market" is so called because some of the activity is black
market (like is alleged to be in the article above) while other is
simply secondary market.

Again, in Ninhai, everyone was arrested, every cartridge was burned, and
if it had a brand on it (the all do) it was considered "counterfeiting"
that brand to refill it.