Seiko Epson has succeeded in getting four online retailers of printer ink cartridges to stop selling a number of third-party ink cartridges designed for use in Epson printers, the Japanese company said Friday.The four retailers are in Germany and agreed in out-of-court settlements to stop selling the cartridges, which Seiko Epson asserts infringe upon its intellectual property. The retailers are GEPOC Gesellschaft fur Polymerchemie GmbH in Aachen, BWD Computer in Arnsdorf, Tintenshop Lohne in Bielefeld and Tinten-Toner Vertrieb in Bochum, Epson said in a statement.The action is the latest in a string of successful attempts by the Japanese company to stamp out sales of unlicensed ink cartridges in Europe and the United States.Earlier this year, Epson filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission against 24 companies that manufacture, import or distribute aftermarket ink cartridges for sale in the United States and filed a case in the English High Court against Medea International. In 2005, Epson succeeded in reaching out of court settlements with companies in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. The sale of ink refills is a lucrative business for printer makers such as Epson. It’s also an important part of the business model typically used where little or no profit is made on the printer itself but later recouped on cartridge sales. Trading of unlicensed cartridges threatens to upset this business model.In a statement, Epson said it welcomes competition from companies that are willing to license its technology to produce compatible ink cartridges but will continue to “vigorously pursue” its rights against companies that infringe upon its intellectual property rights. Last week, Seiko Epson reported its first net loss in four years, in part because of falling prices for printer-only products as consumers switch to multifunction models. As a result, Epson plans to reduce in the next 12 months the number of stand-alone printers it offers, it said.For related CIO content, see Read the Fine and Fast Print.For related news coverage, read Seiko Epson Sees 1st Annual Loss in 4 Years.— Martyn Williams, IDG News Service Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe