``The product being debated provides a very small portion of our revenue. It is outdated. Our new products are all patent-free,’’ said an InkTec official on Friday over the phone. `Also, the patent is registered in a few countries so it won’t cause big damage to us.’’

The official said that it will give appropriate support for the German partner regarding the court battle with HP even though it is not legally responsible.

InkTec was founded in 1992 to manufacture commercial electronic ink products in Korea. It was the first company in Korea to adopt the refill cartridge system for printers.

On Thursday, HP said that it has filed a formal complaint in Germany alleging that InkTec’s ``do-it-yourself’’ ink refill kits are violating its patents. The company has sued several other companies in the Untied States and China since last year regarding the ink patents.

``With more than 4,000 supply patents, representing a deep heritage of innovation, research and development, HP will continue to vigorously defend intellectual property violations wherever and whenever they are discovered,’’ said Pradeep Jotwani, senior vice president of HP.

Major printer makers such as HP, Canon and Epson have been blamed by consumer groups for taking enormous profits from selling ink cartridges at high prices.

An interesting report from Gizmodo, an IT Web site, showed that the HP’s ink, which is being sold at $0.70 per milliliter, costs more than human blood, which is about $0.40 for the same amount.

Several civil organizations and environmentalist have held rallies in front of government buildings this year, demanding the government to encourage wider use of refill inks.

By Nick Roset
Staff Reporter