A report from C/Net News focuses on a company, Cryptography Research Inc., which is developing chip technology to help printer manufacturers prevent illegal use of inkjet cartridges.

 

June 28, 2007: A report from C/Net News focuses on a company, Cryptography Research Inc., which is developing chip technology to help printer manufacturers prevent illegal use of inkjet cartridges.
The company’s chips use cryptography that will make it harder for printers to use off-brand and counterfeit cartridges. The chips will be fitted as part of standard fabrication, eliminating the need for a special – and more expensive ø¢â‚¬” manufacturing process. They will be designed with large sections that have no decipherable structure, a feature that would thwart someone attempting to reverse-engineer the chip by examining it under a microscope to determine how it works.
The report says: “Counterfeiting and piracy are all but impossible to eradicate, but CRI hopes to at least minimize the financial damage they cause.” Currently, there are three ways in which third-party cartridge ‘manufacturers’ produce their products:
– Used cartridges get refilled and sold as “new”, instead of as remanufactured.
– Cartridges get illegally replicated through reverse engineering.
– Printers get hacked or physically altered to use any type of ink.
These measures to protect the integrity of inkjet cartrisges will be beneficial to photographers, for whom colour accuracy and the protection of their investments in their (usually high-priced, high-performance) printers is vital. Minimising the impact of third-party products should allow printer manufacturers to sell their cartridges at realistic prices that will provide adequate profits to fund future research and development without burdening consumers with over-priced media.
The printer technology will be available in early 2008, according to CRI.