Appeals Court Ruling Deals Blow to Lexmark

A federal appeals court in Cincinnati lifted a ban on sales of rebuilt ink cartridges that compete with Lexmark International Inc. products in a ruling that may thwart attempts by manufacturers to control the market for replacement parts.

The court said a judge in Lexmark’s hometown of Lexington, Ky., was wrong to block sales of cartridge parts by closely held Static Control Components. The parts circumvent Lexmark’s efforts to protect the copyright on software that runs the cartridges.