Samsung Electronics Wins Patent Infringement Lawsuit against Four Toner Cartridge Resellers in Germany

Samsung Electronics announced that it won a lawsuit against four resellers in Germany for distribution of unlicensed, non-original equipment manufacturer (non-OEM) toner cartridges that were found on first instance to infringe Samsung’s patent*.

The Munich District Court ruled that the four resellers infringed Samsung’s patent for toner cartridge CLP-620**. The resellers sold toner cartridges that were molded to be compatible with Samsung printers.

The court ordered each of the resellers to stop selling all relevant products with the patented features and recall those that have been distributed since July 24, 2013.

“We are pleased with the judgment,” said David SW Song, Senior Vice President of Printing Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics. “The lawsuits are intended to protect our intellectual property rights, the rights and interests of consumers and those of companies that produce and sell legitimately manufactured toner cartridges. We will continue to take action against resellers that sell illegal, unlicensed toners that are compatible with our products.”

Irrespective of the infringement of Samsung’s patents, non-genuine toners may produce low quality prints and can lead to various printer problems, such as excessive noise and hardware failure. Samsung’s warranty does not cover damages for printers that break down due to the effects of non-genuine toner. Thus, Samsung is taking steps to prevent such inconveniences for customers.

Genuine Samsung toners print nearly twice the page output of non-genuine counterparts, according to a 2014 study by Buyers Laboratory. In addition, genuine toners produce longer-lasting prints that do not smudge. Genuine Samsung toner cartridges have also been certified for environmental safety.

Customers can identify a genuine Samsung toner by checking the label on the cartridge box. The label should change colors when seen from different angles, and the embossed characters have a distinguishable texture.

* German part of European Patent EP 1 975 744.

** Docket no. 7 O 18276/14, 7 O 18277/14, 7 O 18278/14 and 7 O 18279/14.