A nearly unanimous Supreme Court told Lexmark it can’t use patent law to restrict printer cartridge buyers from doing what they want with the cartridges, including refilling them or even selling them to cartridge manufacturers. In an opinion by Chief Just John Roberts, “Lexmark exhausted its patent rights” once it sold the cartridge.
The case was watched closely by more than printer makers. Lexmark had support from the biotechnology, drug, and agricultural industries. Tech companies, including Google and Intel, supported the cartridge re-manufacturer, Impression Products, as did makers of rebuilt or refurbished auto parts and medical devices.
