HP fined 1.4 billion rupees in India for cartelizing ink cartridges, toner, PCs
India's competition regulator imposed a massive fine on HP for colluding with resellers on bid rigging, price fixing, and customer allocation.
HP India has been fined 1.4 billion rupees (approximately $17 million) by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for participating in a cartel involving ink cartridges, toner, and personal computers. An additional fine of 35.2 million rupees was levied on 21 HP resellers. According to the CCI, WhatsApp records revealed that HP and 16 of its Tier-2 resellers engaged in "bid rigging, including cover bidding, price fixation, and customer allocation" between 2017 and 2020. HP India argued that it was not the "kingpin" of the arrangement but was forced to support the collusion after resellers threatened to switch to cheaper counterfeit products. The case highlights the high cost of printer ink, a problem exacerbated by HP's practice of blocking third-party ink through firmware updates. The CCI ordered HP and its partners to cease anti-competitive conduct and to conduct competition compliance training within 60 days. HP has not publicly commented on the fine.
