HP says pilfered inkjet parts peddled

Hewlett-Packard said it is suing a Taiwan-based firm for peddling inkjet cartridges made from parts swiped from the US technology giant’s facilities in Asia.

HP has called on the International Trade Commission to investigate whether its patents were infringed by ink cartridge manufacturer Microjet Technology, and has filed a lawsuit in a US District Court in California, the company said on Monday in an email response to an AFP inquiry.

The lawsuit “includes allegations related to the distribution and sale of products, which HP believes to have been stolen from HP facilities in Asia,” the Hewlett-Packard said.

“HP asserts that the sale of these products constitutes conversion of HP property and unfair competition. There are not any allegations of manufacture or sale of counterfeit products.”

A spokesman for Microject Technology, based in Hsinchu Science Park in northern Taiwan, declined comment on Tuesday.

“We don’t know anything about the lawsuit. So far we’ve not received any legal documents and will not respond to the allegations from HP,” he said.

Source: AFP