Canon USA hit with a class-action lawsuit claiming it's conning consumers

3 years ago 265

A national suit filed successful New York against the institution argues it is misleading buyers of its "all-in-one" printers by forcing them to acquisition caller ink cartridges for the devices to enactment properly.

A class-action ailment against Canon USA—the subsidiary of the multinational corp that is well-known for manufacturing an array of tech products (from cameras to semiconductors and printers, of course, among different things)—was precocious deed with ineligible accusations that its alleged all-in-one printers are manufactured to scam consumers into buying printer ink. And if they don't, each the advertised functions of the devices won't enactment arsenic billed.

Specifically, an idiosyncratic named David Leacraft claims that Canon is purposely duping consumers by falsely claiming its fashionable printers are multiple-use devices—ones that tin grip printing, copying, scanning (and besides faxing successful its much costly versions).

Leacraft—who is listed successful the suit arsenic a nonmigratory of Queens, New York—alleges that soon aft helium bought a Canon PIXMA MG2522 All-in-One Printer from his section Walmart, helium soon discovered that the gadget didn't "function arsenic a scanner if the ink cartridges are debased oregon empty."

And the reasoning for his for buying the merchandise successful the archetypal place, helium argues, was chiefly for its purported scanning capabilities. Canon presently offers three-in-one oregon four-in-one printer products (in different words, these tin serve-up some—or all—of the above-mentioned features).

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The suit cites Canon's website listing the following: "Whether it's printing documents and reports, oregon faxing and scanning, the PIXMA TR8620 is the eventual compact location bureau printer that's large connected show and productivity."

But the pb plaintiff says—on behalf of himself and others—that this is simply a bogus assertion.

"Ink," the enactment states, "is not a indispensable constituent to scan a document." The ailment goes connected to reason that astir 20 of Canon's all-in-one devices are fraudulently manufactured to bamboozle individuals into purchasing much printer ink to marque the machine's different marketed offerings enactment properly.

The suit besides says frustrations implicit its all-in-one printers and alleged promises for the functionality of its devices goes backmost to astatine slightest 2015.

The people enactment cites 1 lawsuit arsenic penning connected the Canon Community webpage: "I person a MX330 [Canon, multi-function printer]. Works large different but if I tally retired of colour ink oregon region an ink cartridge it wont scan. I'm SCANNING. [W]hy does this impact scanning. It shouldn't."

In a response, a Canon typical replied, "The printer requires that some ink cartridges beryllium installed successful the printer successful bid to scan, adjacent if they are debased oregon retired of ink. In addition, erstwhile an mistake information is contiguous connected the printer (such arsenic being retired of ink), different functions of the portion volition not beryllium capable to beryllium performed until that contented is addressed."

The suit lists others having akin gripes with however the merchandise functions.

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As such, the causes of what led this people enactment to beryllium filed are listed arsenic a breach of the expressed warranty, unjust enrichment and violations of 2 New York wide concern laws that support customers from bogus advertizing and deceptive claims.

In the US, Canon is chiefly based successful Huntington, New York, and it is simply a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (which has its main office successful Tokyo, Japan).

The people enactment was filed successful the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and presently determination is thing listed connected PACER (the entree work tract for national tribunal documents) with a retort from Canon's attorneys implicit the accusations.

TechRepublic besides reached retired to Canon representatives implicit the substance but didn't person a effect backmost earlier the work of this piece.

The typical enactment says since determination are astatine slightest much than 100 people members affected by Canon's alleged bogus claims, the magnitude sought needs to transcend $5 million—not to notation that the costs ostensibly volition request to to screen interest, fees and wide litigation costs from the sought-after assemblage trial.

The afloat complaint—uploaded online by BleepingComputer—can beryllium work here.