Black Point CEO Issued Announcement on HP Accusation

As Recycling Times reported on January 28, 2013, Black Point, the largest aftermarket player in Poland, refuses to settle with HP who claims the polish company violates one of its ink cartridge patents.

On January 30, a commentary was issued by Piotr Kolbusz, CEO of Black Point SA. In this statement, Piotr Kolbusz asserted that in the 25 years since its establishment, Black Point SA has been obeying laws regarding patents and fair competition, not selling or storing any products infringing on any patent holder.

He said that Black Point defies HP’ charge, yet they hold in mind that patent laws are significant and printer manufacturers should safeguard their patent rights. He acknowledged that HP HAS been tolerant to small far-east distributors for years, which has resulted in patent-infringing products taking over part of the market. Hence, rejecting HP’s accusation, though, they voluntarily accept its suggestion of a decent settlement and will work on it.

See below the original announcement from Piotr Kolbusz, CEO of Black Point SA:

In its 25-year history, Black Point SA has always complied thoroughly with patent laws and the rules of fair competition. Our company does not sell or store in its depository any products which would infringe the patent laws of any printer producer. This state of affairs has been confirmed by an inspection at the site, conducted by a court executive officer and a HP representative in June 2012. We reject the accusations raised by HP in the trial currently underway.

At the same time, Black Point SA, as a Polish producer of alternative materials, possessing a patented technology and its own machine park, acknowledges the importance of patent laws and expresses its support towards printer producers’ pursuits in this field. With that in mind, we accepted HP’s proposal of an amicable solution to the litigation, and we intend to work towards a settlement.

We would like to stress the fact that HP has for years tolerated unacceptable practices carried out by its smaller and major distributors, namely marketing patent-infringing products made in the Far East. This acceptance has led to a significant part of the printing materials market being claimed by these products.

We would like to add that Black Point SA’s activity consists mainly of regenerating pre-used ink printer cartridges, which does not infringe patent laws, but actually has a positive impact on the environment through the recycling of millions of used cartridges. Thanks to our practices, we are able to supply our trade partners, and eventually customers, with safe products from a legal and environmental point of view.