Region restrictions on Epson inks?

[Mark D Segal]

Before everyone runs off complaining, perhaps someone should actually TEST these claims?

Things like the FTA bind the governments with regard to tarrifs or other barriers that they may impose - they don't require a company to guarantee to sell every product into all markets within the agreement or, in fact, for a company to do much at all.  Which makes sense.  Why would a company be forced to sell a product into a market or forced to sell at a specific price?

Should photographers be forced to sell digital files at a greatly reduced price to people in overseas markets who don't want to pay for shipping or for the photographer's rate for printing and materials when they can get it done cheaper locally (or done themselves even cheaper)?  I wouldn't expect to find too many fine art photogs lining up to follow that model (and rightly so).

I agree with this. Free Trade agreements are the wrong place to look for any guidance on this kind of issue.

Where one could look, however, is at the intersection of domestic restrictive trade practices legislation (including anti-trust) and the international trading arrangements of companies importing and exporting merchandise and subject to relevant domestic legislation of this kind. Even here, however, I'd be surprised if there were anything actionable, because one of the key tests in restrictive trade practice and anti-trust adjudication is whether the alleged practices impair competition or whether they are discriminatory within a domestic market in ways that are not allowed. This would be assessed industry-wide, not just within the boundaries of one company in a sector. To the extent that there is no monopoly or even near monopoly in inkjet printing markets anywhere in the world and the pricing policy applies generally within the country, I think it's unlikely that one company found to be using technical means for protecting a distribution arrangement could be held accountable for anything illegal. I have no specific knowledge of what Australian law would have to say about this specific kind of situation, but my gut tells me Phil has it right.

[enduser]

@ Farmer:

No one is suggesting for a minute that a business be forced to sell to anybody.  The issue here is that many suppliers happily sell all round the world, all manner of products.  We buy inks for one Canon iPF from the US, Hong Kong, China and wherever we can get a better price than locally in Oz.  They all work well and we only buy genuine Canon product for our main machine.  (A Canon reseller here who has been trying to get Canon to reduce its eye-watering price with no success, tells us how to be sure of the product.)

In another machine we use InkJet Carts ink from the US with no premature head failures or even color issues.  We went this way after several contacts in the advertising print business told us that that industry isn't negative at all about third-party inks, many use them.  The savings on these carts is such that if heads only last half the usual time, we're ahead on overall costs - they last much longer than half actually.

I fully realize that others have a completely different view about all this and I value any input, it's an interesting topic.

[greener1]

Hi Jim,

 Tricera Imaging in Vancouver (Burrard and 5th) sells the 3880 inks for $59.95 each. If you buy a set they'll give you a further discount. They also carry the entire range of Epson, Ilford and Hahnemuhle papers.