Canon Inc. had sued six other ink cartridge makers claiming that their products, which are compatible with Canon-manufactured ink-jet printers infringe one of Canon’s patents. The defendant makers imported and sold allegedly infringing ink cartridges manufactured in Hong Kong. They were widely sold at lower prices than genuine Canon cartridges. The Intellectual Property High Court recognized that the defendants’ products had infringed the Canon patent and ordered the defendants to stop importing and selling those products. The defendants appealed, but the Japanese Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the High Court on September 29th. This case represents a major victory in the battle printer manufacturers have waged in recent years -- in Japan, the U.S. and Europe -- against the manufacturers of consumables made for use in their printers.