Medea pays off Epson in Inkrite cartridge fight

Epson announces settlement with Medea International over its distribution of Inkrite cartridges

Epson has vowed to go on defending its intellectual property rights

Medea International has paid an unknown sum to print giant Epson to end the long-running dispute over the former’s distribution of Inkrite cartridges.

Epson launched legal proceedings against Medea in 2007 regarding the distribution of Inkrite cartridges manufactured by Ninestar Image International in China, which Epson maintains infringed a patent it holds.

Matthew Drew, group product manager at Epson, said: “We are extremely pleased that this dispute with Medea over the infringement of our intellectual property rights has now reached a successful conclusion.”

According to a statement released today by Epson, Medea, which is based in Scotland and owns various brands including Inkrite, JR Inkjet and InkyJet, has “agreed to withdraw the products from sale and pay an undisclosed sum towards Epson’s claim for substantial damages and legal costs.

“We invest heavily in research and development to ensure that our customers receive the best possible imaging results from our products. Attempts to copy our technologies affect Epson as a brand and our customers’ experiences,” Drew said.

“We will continue to take a proactive stance to protect our brand, our channel partners and our customers.”

In August, Yorkshire-based online reseller Ebuyer settled with Epson over its alleged sales of Medea’s Inkrite cartridges – again for an undisclosed sum.