HP Settles Trademark Suit Against Xerox

Hewlett-Packard Co., the No. 1 maker of inkjet printers, settled a 16-month-old lawsuit against Xerox Corp. that claimed the world’s top copier maker violated HP trademarks on toner-cartridge packaging. Stamford, Conn.-based Xerox, which won’t pay damages, agreed to change its packaging to remove a reference to Palo Alto-based HP’s LaserJet brand in type similar to HP’s logo. It also will insert the word “replaces” before model numbers of printers the cartridges fit, including those made by HP, Canon Inc. and Apple Computer Inc. The agreement ends the first of five suits between the two; the others are patent cases that affect products rather than packaging. HP filed the trademark suit in September 1997. Xerox shares rose $2.25, closing at $120, and HP closed up 75 cents at $69.69, both on the NYSE.