Keurig Plans to Add DRM to Future Coffee Makers to Lock-out Third-party Refills

Because there’s always more room for asinine ideas, Keurig has decided that the time is right to implement DRM in its coffee makers to prevent third-party cups from being used. This is akin to a printer locking-out third-party ink cartridges, and the reason for Keurig’s move is obvious: The real money is not with the sale of the coffee makers, but the refills – and at about 75 cents per cup, companies like Keurig are making a mint.

This move isn’t a rumor; it’s been confirmed by Keurig’s CEO, and it came about after TreeHouse Foods filed a lawsuit against the company claiming that it was being anti-competitive. It was through this lawsuit that the DRM mention was first brought up, and it’s something that Keurig is sure to regret leaking out at this point in time. Around the Web, the backlash is already evident, with many Keurig owners threatening to move elsewhere.

There’s not too much that can be said here that’s not obvious. Keurig’s move is not one that will benefit customers, and you’d imagine that if the company does in fact go through with this, then competing products that don’t implement DRM are going to look all the more attractive. It’ll be interesting to see if Keurig backtracks after this public backlash.