A patent filed by IBM suggests the company is interested in making a printer that would not let a user reproduce copyrighted material.
IBM logo by Paul Rand via Wikimedia Commons
There is not a lot of innovation happening in conventional ink printers these days, so when something comes along, it is interesting to see where companies believes the market going. IBM views the future of printing as an added layer of copyright protection. That is what a patent from the company would suggest, anyway.
The patent outlines a way in which a printer could identify text and images to determine whether the person trying to print has the authority to reproduce the content. IBM wants to offer a robust system, giving users the ability to request permission if they do not already have it. That is thoughtful, although it is not clear what the benefits of this printer would be over a more conventional one.
IBM is likely thinking a product with this technology could be useful in a business environment. Printer makers and sellers should definitely be concerned about these environments, as this is where printers are seeing growth. The technology could make it difficult for unauthorized personnel to make off with sensitive information. In the age of Wikileaks, an anti-infringement printer might be useful for certain companies or government agencies. The patent is targeted at limiting the copying of copyrighted information, however, and such material is not usually pirated by printing it out first.
Copy protection might not be the future of printers, but corporate environments are going to increasingly make up the bulk of printing in the future. Suppliers selling inkjet and laser printers cannot afford to ignore this market.
- See a comparison table of selected inkjet printer suppliers on GlobalSources.com
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