The Indian government has slapped HP India and its partners with a hefty 1.4 billion rupees (£13.6 million) fine after discovering they had colluded to inflate the cost of printer cartridges, toner and PCs for public contracts.

According to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), HP worked closely with five resellers to increase its chances of winning government bids by strategically limiting competition. The tech giant was ordered to pay 1.3 billion rupees (£12.5 million) for bid-fixing, while an additional 119.8 million rupees (£1.1 million) was levied for price-fixing consumables like toner and ink cartridges.

The CCI noted that HP's actions included coordinating bid prices, restricting the participation of other resellers in local tenders, and issuing manufacturer’s authorization forms selectively to favoured partners. This arrangement allegedly aimed to exclude counterfeit products from the market while ensuring HP's dominance.

While this case highlights corporate malpractice, it also raises broader questions about the value of technology and its associated costs. Ink cartridges remain one of the most expensive consumables in everyday life, a fact that surely makes many consumers question their worth.