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Epson America, Inc. settled a class action lawsuit brought before the Los Angeles Superior Court. It did not admit guilt, but they agreed to refund $45 to anyone who purchased an Epson inkjet printer after 4/8/99 (at least $20 of which must be used at Epson's E-Store). PC World: Epson Faces Consumer Suits Consumers fed up with the high cost of ink jet cartridges are taking Epson America to court, accusing it of manipulating equipment in order to sell more ink. A lawsuit filed Friday in District Court in Texas claims some models of Epson ink jet cartridges prematurely block Epson printers from functioning even though "substantial ink" remains in the cartridge. The suit, filed in Jefferson County, is the third such suit involving the same law firm. Like the others, it seeks class action status and asks a judge to order Epson to notify customers that replacement cartridges may still be usable even when Epson's equipment says they're spent, and to compensate customers who discard the usable cartridges. Harnes Keller LLP of New York, together with local counsel, filed similar claims in a San Mateo, California, Superior Court on Monday, and also at Kings County, New York, Supreme Court in August. Neither case has gone to trial. An Epson spokesperson declines to comment on any of the lawsuits, beyond calling the initial New York lawsuit "unfounded." Chip and Cartridge Challenge The problem is with Epson ink jet cartridges outfitted with an Intellidge microchip, say Harnes Keller attorneys. Because the Intellidge chip stops Epson printers from operating until the ink jet cartridge is replaced, the plaintiffs charge that Epson is in breach of contract with its customers, who are entitled to use all the ink in the cartridge. The cartridges actually contain up to 38 percent more usable ink after the Intellidge chip cuts them off, according to research cited in the suits. "Because of Epson's deceptive practices, consumers have been forced to purchase replacement inkjet cartridges prematurely and have paid for ink in inkjet cartridges they can never use," the complaint reads. Epson responds that a safety reserve of ink remains inside its cartridges after they expire to prevent damage that can occur to the print head if the cartridge runs dry. The lawyers say they are seeking class status in order to represent anyone who purchased an Epson brand ink jet cartridge fitted with an Intellidge chip. Not Running on Empty The complaint also cites research by the British magazine Which! Online. Testers there were able to override the Intellidge chip on Epson cartridges and print between 17 and 38 percent more "good-quality pages." The testers used a $30 chip resetting mechanism to override the Epson printer chip. Which! Online also reports "premature warnings" of low or no ink using ink jet cartridges from HP, Canon, and Lexmark that continued to produce quality printouts.