Lexmark is suing Smartek, a company that makes replacement toner cartridges, under the DMCA.
News.com reports: “Lexmark alleges that the Smartek chip mimics the authentication sequence used by Lexmark chips and unlawfully tricks the printer into accepting an aftermarket cartridge.”
Now, I am not and have never been a lawyer. But isn’t this the kind of reverse engineering that used to be a protected exemption to copyright law?
Will the case actually test whether the DMCA bans reverse engineering?