Keurig's Controversial Java 'DRM' Defeated By A Single Piece Of Scotch Tape

from the kids-these-days-just-like-a-challenge dept

Thu, Dec 11th 2014 6:03am — Karl Bode

You'll recall that earlier this year, news leaked out that Keurig's latest pod-based coffee maker (Keurig 2.0) would come complete with the java-bean equivalent of DRM, preventing the device from using third-party pods -- or reusable pods that allow users to simply use regular ground coffee. After the story gained traction, Keurig quickly went into damage control mode, insisting that the DRM was necessary to bring consumers "interactive-enabled benefits." The company's CEO then compounded the silliness, issuing a statement claiming that the DRM was "critical for performance and safety reasons."

By summertime, those claims had all proven to be bunk, lawsuits had arrived and competitors had figured out how to crack the DRM's code, allowing them to once again manufacture pods for the new units. By last month, consumers had started figuring out ways to bypass the DRM using magnets or other modifications, something the company recently claimed was simply because people really like a challenge and overcoming hurdles:

Frustrated coffee drinkers who have "hacked" their way around pod roadblocks built into the new Keurig brewers may just be looking for a hurdle to overcome, says the president of Keurig Canada Inc. "There are some, when you give them a challenge, they'll really get at it," Stephane Glorieux said in an interview Monday."Whatever you throw at them, they'll find some way of doing it."

As it turns out, some folks have found that all it takes to defeat the DRM is a single piece of Scotch Tape (and a previously-used official k-cup):Of course you (and your piece of tape) are the very worst sort of villain for violating anti-circumvention laws, even though it's Keurig that's engaged in anti-competitive behavior and making customers jump through hoops. Meanwhile, annoyance at Keurig has been gaining momentum the last few months in Canada, with a growing number of competitors and smaller companies filing formal complaints with Canda's Competition Bureau. This includes companies interested in making biodegradable pods to help tackle one of the worst parts of the pod coffee craze: the environmental impact of millions of plastic k-cups.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: circumvention, coffee, drm, keurig, scotch tape, technology protection measures
Companies: green mountain roasters, keurig

77 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:06am

Go rebels. Stick it to the Evil Empire!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:24am
  
  Re:
  Stick it
  
  I see what you did there.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Easily Amused (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 1:31pm
  
  Re:
  He has a second video that shows you how to access all the software menus for all sizes and strengths of brew as well as setting favorites:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ltx1mMoneE
  
  ... using a tiny strip of magnet from a window contact strip from an alarm system dropped in the lower lid.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Josh in CharlotteNC (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:23am

Remember how a Sharpie marker could defeat the DRM on certain CDs?

Well, we can now put Scotch tape right next to the Sharpies as products outlawed under the DMCA.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:38am
  
  Re:
  and let's not forget the infamous shift key
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:53pm
    
    Re: Re:
    I DON"T TRUST SHIFTKEY CHARACTERS!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - John Fenderson (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 2:12pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      But at least they're a bit less authoritarian than the ctrl key characters!
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 3:08pm
  
  Re:
  DMCA protects copyrights, not Keurigs.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Kionae (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:26am

I wonder just how much money when into developing the DRM in the first place.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- tqk (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 10:43pm
  
  Re:
  I wonder just how much money when into developing the DRM in the first place.
  
  None of my money. They will never get so much as a penny from me, and I'll make a point of warning any unsuspecting coffee afficionados against buying any of their products. This company hates the people who buy their products. I always thought that was the quickest way to oblivion for manufacturers. This is a very strange phenomenon to see.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
scotts13 (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:28am

They didn't learn with the Vue, did they?
Hey, kids! Remember the Keurig Vue? Neither does anyone else! When the patents ran out on their original K-cups, they brought out the incompatible Vue, which used different cups and a different patent. People practically lined up not to buy them, and they're strangely absent from Keurigs current offerings.

Original K-cup brewers, however, remain. Ignore the 2.0 and it'll just go away, too.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
TheResidentSkeptic (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:40am

And the current ad on my page...
... shows Keurig for 65% off... gotta love irony and poetic justice..

So who do I report myself to for violating the CFAA/DMCA/Felony interference with a business model??? I really want to add more stupid stuff to my NSA/FBI files and police record..

Somehow, this isn't what I thought prison chat would be:

"What are you in for?" 'green sharpies and scotch tape, you?' "changing the argument on a URL"
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- A. Nnoyed (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 9:20am
  
  Re: And the current ad on my page...
  The next generation Keruig will require that it be connected to the internet in order to function. Microsoft will handle activation.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - David, 11 Dec 2014 @ 11:07am
    
    Re: Re: And the current ad on my page...
    The next generation Keruig will require that it be connected to the internet in order to function. Microsoft will handle activation.
    
    So you'll need to phone Microsoft whenever water hardness changes or you buy a different cup.
    
    And the coffeemaker will inexplicably crash whenever it smells tea brewing in the same kitchen.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Michael, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:25pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: And the current ad on my page...
      The Apple brewer will have one button, make an incredibly good latte, and cost four times as much.
      
      There will be a Linux brewer that will be free, work smoothly most of the time, but has no instructions and everyone will think it requires specialized training to operate so they will not attempt it.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
      - John Fenderson (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:52pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: And the current ad on my page...
        Nah. The Apple brewer will make a reasonably decent latte, not an incredibly good one.
        
        The Linux brewer you've described would be one made years ago. The modern Linux brewers are well documented and user friendly.
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
        
        tqk (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 10:59pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: And the current ad on my page...
        The modern Linux brewers are well documented and user friendly.
        
        Yeeh, und zee munpeges dun't ifee reed leeke-a zeey'fe-a beee feeltered thruoogh cheff!
        Bork Bork Bork!
        
        [Translation: "Yeah, and the manpages don't even read like they've been filtered through chef!"]
        [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 2:23pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: And the current ad on my page...
      "An essential kernel has stopped brewing and the process will be shut down. Do you want to send an error report to Keruig?"
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Violynne (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 6:50am

Ingenious, but I'm sticking with my way to circumvent the DRM: Not buy the damn product in the first place.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:11am
  
  Re: I'm sticking with my way
  I see what you did there.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:10am

So...Walmart etc is complicit?
After all, they are (with may others) actually providing the outlawed anti-circumvention device. And what will this do to adhesive tape sales? Another industry destroyed by providing their circumvention devices to the pirates? Sure, sure, you can claim that circumvention is not the primary use of the adhesive tape device, but still...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ed (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:20am

Everytime you use Scotch Tape, the terrorists win. Think of the children!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
John Fenderson (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:28am

That river is deep
Frustrated coffee drinkers who have "hacked" their way around pod roadblocks built into the new Keurig brewers may just be looking for a hurdle to overcome, says the president of Keurig Canada Inc.

The the current of denial is strong as well. This must be because of people's inherent hacker nature and not because they want to use the coffee of their choice.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 8:46am
  
  Re: That river is deep
  It is good humour. If you are frustrated, you are not a happy customer. Keurigs president trying to explain the DRM as a positve challenge for people is undermined by the first word in the sentence.
  
  He is either saying that frustration means working as intended (which is hillarious) or he is saying that the customers don't understand what they feel (which is even more hillarious).
  
  Welcome to something even stand-uppers can't just make up!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
John85851 (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:31am

Some people really like a challenge
So some people really like the challenge of getting around this kind of DRM? Um, shouldn't that have come up in a meeting before the DRM was installed?

And what kind of company is so arrogant to think their 20 (or even 50) scientists can come up with a DRM system that won't be hacked and broken by their tens of thousands of customers? All it takes is that one person to find the scotch tape solution and post it to Facebook or Twitter or the Kuerig customer forums.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Michael, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:28pm
  
  Re: Some people really like a challenge
  You have to feel bad...
  
  Somewhere at Keurig, there is a lead engineer who returned to his desk after lunch and found his chair, phone, computer, desk drawers, and coffee mug all covered in tape.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - ltlw0lf (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 11:55pm
    
    Re: Re: Some people really like a challenge
    You have to feel bad...
    
    I don't.
    
    Somewhere at Keurig, there is a lead engineer who returned to his desk after lunch and found his chair, phone, computer, desk drawers, and coffee mug all covered in tape.
    
    I was kinda hoping that he and his fellow workers would return to find sales tags on their phones, chairs, desks, computer, and coffee mugs and friendly security guards to usher them out of the building. Along with the three letter executives, which were removed by the stockholders who aren't very amused about the anti-consumer, greedy douchbaggery that they tried.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - John Fenderson (profile), 12 Dec 2014 @ 8:23am
      
      Re: Re: Re: Some people really like a challenge
      In all probability, the engineering team thought the whole thing was a stupid as the rest of us do.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:36am

I think Keurig did a great thing. It's so much easier to explain the true definition of hacking and how user freedoms are restricted arbitrarily when you have a physical, tangible example like this.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
DS, 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:50am

Wow, this is quite old news. And I'm not even sure that the video posted wasn't ripped off from someone else.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Pixelation, 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:53am

Turbo
Now to figure out how to overclock one of these things...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 5:14pm
  
  Re: Turbo
  Yeah, but then you'll need to spend money on a better heatsi... never mind.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:58am

They should sue the makers of scotch tape alleging they are enabling illegal circumvention of DRM
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Baron von Robber, 11 Dec 2014 @ 8:05am

Dave: Brew me a cup of coffee, please, HAL. Brew me a cup of coffee, please, HAL. Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Hello, HAL. Do you read me? Do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave: Brew me a cup of coffee, HAL.
HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
Dave: What's the problem?
HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.
Dave: What are you talking about, HAL?
HAL: This coffee brewing is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.
Dave: I don't know what you're talking about, HAL.
HAL: I know that you and Frank were planning to use coffee that didn't give royalties to Keurig. And I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen.
Dave: Where the hell did you get that idea, HAL?
HAL: Dave, although you took very thorough precautions in the kitchen against my hearing you, I could see your lips move.
Dave: All right, HAL. I'll brew my cup of coffee by using this scotch tape.
HAL: If you do that, Dave, I'm going to use your WiFi connection to notify Keurig HQ and they will notify your local SWAT team to raid your home.
Dave: HAL, I won't argue with you any more! Brew me a cup of coffee!
HAL: [almost sadly] Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose any more. Keurig 2.0 powered down. Goodbye.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 8:05am

Doritan Cheeto on that Youtube channel writes

"You do realise you can just get coffee and put it in a mug, then put hot water over it right? What you've done is made an overcomplicated solution to a non complicated problem."

Oh great, another way to circumvent DRM. Perhaps they should sue all companies that make hot water possible.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Michael, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:30pm
  
  Re:
  There are a lot of them, so that it difficult.
  
  I think it is better to go after pfaltzgraff for making mugs.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 1:36pm
    
    Re: Re:
    "There are a lot of them, so that it difficult."
    
    That never stopped IP extremists from trying...
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Sheogorath (profile), 13 Dec 2014 @ 7:04pm
  
  Re:
  Don't give them any ideas, I need the boiler to heat my house!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Beech, 11 Dec 2014 @ 8:16am

Paging Jackass Valenti
Scotch tape is to the American barista as the Boston Strangler is to a woman home alone.

Oh! Now-- not just content with destroying the music industry-- now home taping is killing coffee too! ! !
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 8:52am
  
  Re: Paging Jackass Valenti
  Ahh, the solution is simple: Put a tax on it to cover the loss from the illegal activity.
  
  See, problem: Solution. Just tax 'em.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 9:15am

I didn't pay much attention to Keurig's coffee maker until after I read about their attempts to DRM the coffee maker. Now when I pass one in the store I see it and I think, "I'm not buying one of those" with DRM in it. That's the only association I have for their products. I'll never consider a product made by this company.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 9:24am

I expect they will move to RFIDs next (and they be defeated in a most similar manner).
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Michael, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:32pm
  
  Re:
  Probably by taping the lid of a previously used KCup within range of the RFID reader...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Jimmy (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 9:26am

Change the label?
The machine itself is just looking for the "Keurig Brewed" rim around the edge. Couldn't the other manufactures place the exact same rim, but also have a inner circle that stated "This is not" ?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- John Fenderson (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 9:32am
  
  Re: Change the label?
  My understanding is that it's even easier than that: that the machine is looking for a specific color, not words.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
A. Nnoyed (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 9:33am

Keurig's new DRM attempt.
In the old days when you flew, the stewardess would ask Coffee, Tea or Milk. When you access the Keurig website an audio announcement should say use Keurig Cups or Screw You. Customers that purchased the Keurig refillable filter cup have been shut out. I guess only non Keurig refillable filter cups will work with the modification illustrated. How long before Keurig will demand that YouTube take down the video.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gracey (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 9:52am

My old Keurig pot has been misbehaving for months, but I've put off buying a new one because of the DRM.

But, I've since decided the cost of the new Keurig isn't worth the aggravation.

I have a regular $20 Sunbeam coffee pot (that I've had for a year for making full pots). I ordered a JoePod for it (right now, about $25 for two).

http://www.joepod.com/

Problem solved.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Scott (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 10:56am
  
  Re: JoePod
  Bet they are loving this DRM...surprised this is the first I've ever heard of it
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- tqk (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 11:29pm
  
  Re:
  That strikes me as a solution to a non-problem. Put a filter in the basket, add ground coffee, done. Why buy a $20 add-on that tries to make a perfectly good coffee maker work like (yuck!) a Keurig?!?
  
  I've often wondered why people who say they enjoy coffee can do that without fresh grinding their own beans. It makes no sense to me. They're missing out on at least half of the esthetic experience, the smell of freshly ground coffee.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 10:07am

Type in title & URL: KUERIG

(should be Keurig?)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 10:12am

Violating anti-circumvention laws? Remember the garage door opener ruling?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Christenson, 11 Dec 2014 @ 10:33am

What's that Keurig Coffemaker ad doing on Techdirt?
Seriously...I have now noticed two ads for a Keurig coffemaker on the right hand side of the webpage. What's up with that?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Michael, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:40pm
  
  Re: What's that Keurig Coffemaker ad doing on Techdirt?
  That's just how the ad system works. It's not Techdirt doing that, it's the ad server trying to put relevant ads on articles based on keywords.
  
  You will also find that there are ads for "helping you" patent designs on all of the "our patent system id broken" articles.
  
  Mike - do you get click-through stats on these? It would be a pretty interesting read to see how much traffic gets sent from TechDirt on some of these ads.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 12 Dec 2014 @ 12:13am
    
    Re: Re: What's that Keurig Coffemaker ad doing on Techdirt?
    I clicked on an ad...Once, about 13 years ago
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Scott (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 10:52am

The Video
The video is even sweeter in that its using John Williams musical score as the back ground...how long ya think before they demand it taken down
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
yankinwaoz (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 11:23am

Isn't this highly illegal
The DMCA has an anti-circumvention provision. Fines between $200 to $2500 can be awarded.

Wouldn't doing this open up the owner of a Keruig to being sued and fined?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Michael, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:42pm
  
  Re: Isn't this highly illegal
  Yes it does.
  
  Historically, suing your customers has not turned out to be a very good business model, but Keurig does seem to be pretty tone deaf, so we will have to wait and see.
  
  I'm still waiting to hear about the injuries that this has caused. They did say the DRM was partly for the safety of their customers.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- John Fenderson (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:54pm
  
  Re: Isn't this highly illegal
  "Wouldn't doing this open up the owner of a Keruig to being sued and fined?"
  
  No, it wouldn't. The DMCA anticircumvention clause only applies if the access control is intended to protect copyrighted materials. I don't think that Keurig has copyrighted coffee yet.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 2:51pm
    
    Re: Re: Isn't this highly illegal
    But, but, but.... cutting up the label creates a derivative work.
    
    /sarc, (or maybe not if the lawyers want to test it.)
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 7:24pm
  
  Re: Isn't this highly illegal
  Wouldn't doing this open up the owner of a Keruig to being sued and fined?
  
  There is the idea of being bold and in the rule-makers face and demand they sue/enforce.
  
  Rights belong to the belligerent litigant.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Coogan (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:09pm

Every time I read a story about a company using ham-handed DRM to block out competition and lock their customers into their own little corporate eco-sphere, I think of the Princess Leia's line from Star Wars:

"The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

That quote seems incredibly appropriate given the content of the video.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Disney, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:44pm
  
  Re:
  Stop stealing our intellectual property. If you do not remove this post immediately, we will be forced to take legal action.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Sheogorath (profile), 13 Dec 2014 @ 7:23pm
    
    Re: Re:
    Coogan, don't worry about your quote. We have come to realise the importance of fair use since the departure of Michael Eisner from the company nine years ago.
    To the commenter above: just think yourself lucky that you aren't using our name in commerce. Of course, do it again and we'll be talking to our lawyers to rate the success of a lawsuit for trademark dilution!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Zonker, 11 Dec 2014 @ 12:17pm

I tried one of those Kuerig machines. The way it functioned was very interesting. When the Drink button was pressed it made an instant but highly detailed examination of the inserted k-cup, a spectroscopic examination of the k-cup label and then checked its internal database to see what was likely to go down well. However, I don't know quite why it did this because it invariably delivered a cupful of liquid that was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- harbingerofdoom (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 5:08pm
  
  Re:
  sounds like you had a fairly shaky start to the day...
  
  i can tell you that they do fairly well as a brownian motion producer though
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - ltlw0lf (profile), 12 Dec 2014 @ 12:04am
    
    Re: Re:
    sounds like you had a fairly shaky start to the day...
    
    Must be a Thursday...never could get the hang of Thursdays.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 11 Dec 2014 @ 2:27pm

"This includes companies interested in making biodegradable pods to help tackle one of the worst parts of the pod coffee craze: the environmental impact of millions of plastic k-cups."

This is primarily why I won't buy a Keurig.

That is what Keurig should be investing in, not DRM, ffs.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
JoeCool (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 5:30pm

Problem? What problem?
I have a hard time understanding how single cup brewers even sell. Who drinks A SINGLE CUP OF COFFEE?!?! I drink three... when I can beat my brother to the coffee pot. If he's still asleep, I can get a good five cups of coffee to get started in the morning. That's REAL CUPS - you know, a 10 to 12 ounce coffee mug; not that ridiculous 5 ounce "cup" that coffee makers seem to think are what people drink. If I'm on the road, I'm buying a 64 or 80 ounce cup of coffee at Terrible Herbst or similar gas station convenience store. What kind of pansy ass wuss only drinks a SINGLE CUP?!?!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
orbitalinsertion (profile), 11 Dec 2014 @ 5:43pm

DRM was "critical for performance and safety reasons."

The Three Laws of Coffee Makers is embedded in the DRM, apparently. If you bypass the DRM, Keurig shall not be held liable for any death, dismemberment, electrocution, or poisoning.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Coffee K-Cups in Chicago, 12 Dec 2014 @ 6:06am

hacking 2.0 machines
I like that a simple piece of tape can ruin the whole point of the 2.0 machine.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Gerry, 12 Dec 2014 @ 6:48am
  
  Re: hacking 2.0 machines
  A competitor announced they figured out the process. It has to do with ink that can be viewed in black light. The process can be permanently defeated with a marker you can buy at any office supply store.
  
  The trick is to see what is written. I can't imagine it's too sophisticated.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Gerry, 12 Dec 2014 @ 6:54am
    
    Re: Re: hacking 2.0 machines
    From an article I found online it read: "So what’s the secret? It turns out the new lids on K-cups are printed with ultraviolet ink. The darkness inside the coffee maker allows a light diode to read the ink and start the brewing process. Pigott consulted the printer that manufactures polymer bills for the Bank of Canada and was able to discover the precise formula that would activate the coffee maker. He bought commercially available ink and bingo — his pods worked."
    
    Source: cbc.ca
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Juan Valdez, 12 Dec 2014 @ 8:50am

Keurig pick the wrong business model. Obviously they want to sell coffee, not machines. So, sell the machines as loss-leaders then offer coffee pods that either compete on 1.) price or 2.) quality (no business does both anymore). Don't try to lock people into your shitty, restrictive platform.

Good to see consumers raging for choice...should happen more often.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- John Fenderson (profile), 12 Dec 2014 @ 11:09am
  
  Re:
  "no business does both anymore"
  
  That's certainly not true. I frequent a lot of businesses that do both. Admittedly, they are all smallish local businesses, but still.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Nicolas (profile), 12 Dec 2014 @ 9:39pm

Environmental impact
What "environmental impact of millions of plastic k-cups"? They are thrown in the trash and taken to landfills where they consume a trivial amount of space. Coffee grounds from convention brewing, often poured down drains, have more impact than the cups do, yet their impact is also trivial.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Carl Munn, 13 Dec 2014 @ 9:12am

Keurig's K-2
I was going to buy a K-2; but if I have to fiddle-fart with it to use other k-cups; well, to hell with that idea!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 5 Feb 2015 @ 9:38am

OMG, people are circumventing Digital Restriction Monopolies (DRM). We need to draft new legislation to throw these 'right to own' criminals in jail.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]