The Coming Lockdown on Coffee K-Cups

Via Instapundit, who
notes “WELL, THIS SUCKS, AND WILL CAUSE ME TO LEAVE KEURIG, I
EXPECT”:

Keurig is setting itself up to attempt a type of coffee “DRM” on
the pods used in its coffee-making machines, according to a
report from Techdirt. Keurig’s next-gen machines would be
unable to interact with third-party coffee pods, thus locking
customers into buying only the Keurig-branded K-cups or those of
approved partners.

The single-cup coffee brewers made by Keurig (owned by Green
Mountain Coffee) spurred a rush by coffee brands into the
single-cup-pod trade. The K-Cup patent expired in 2012, and prior
to that, Green Mountain bought up many of its competitors,
including Tully’s Coffee Corporation and Timothy’s Coffees.
Competitors continue to sell K-Cups, often at a 15- to 25 percent
markdown from Green Mountain’s own pods, according to a lawsuit
filed against Green Mountain by TreeHouse Foods.

The best part of waking up? That IP in your cup!

As Casey Johnston writes at Ars Technica (where
the above story appears):

Green Mountain plans to launch “Keurig 2.0” this fall, a new set
of machines that will only interact with Green-Mountain-approved
pods. There is no documentation showing how Green Mountain will
control this. But if Sony is any precedent, it seems like
maintaining control over plastic pods of coffee may be an uphill
battle.

Read the whole story here.

Watch “The
Knockoff Economy: How Copying Benefits Everyone,” a great vid
about intellectua property and how it functions in the fashion,
food, and other industries.