According to customers, the recent Canon printer update prevents users from using non-Canon ink and toner cartridges. When customers try to use off-brand cartridges, the printer will stop working, due to the “counterfeit” product. Even if customers refill Canon cartridges with non-Canon ink, the printer refuses to accept it. 

As a result, customers must pay for higher priced Canon products, and they lose out on the money they used to purchase off-brand cartridges. 

In a similar lawsuit, customers sued HP claiming that an HP update blocked customers from using third-party ink cartridges, that HP misrepresented the cause of the issue (when HP had in fact caused the incompatibility), and that HP was using the software to collect data on whether customers were using HP or third-party ink without their consent. In October 2021, the judge in the case denied HP’s motion to dismiss.