Staples, HP accused of antitrust violations

BOSTON According to reports, a lawsuit has been filed against Staples and Hewlette-Packard, alleging that the companies had violated antitrust laws through their partnership regarding the sale of replacement inkjet printer cartridges.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Boston by Ranjit Bedi, reports indicate. In the suit Bedi claims that the two companies had unlawfully agreed to stop competing when HP paid Staples more than $100 million to stop selling non-HP branded inkjet printer cartridges for HP printers. The suit is seeking class-action status.

According to reports, no information is known about Bedi, other than that he is from Pacific Palisades, Calif., and it is unknown how he came up with the number of $100 million.