Keurig Competitor Offers Free Hack Workaround For Keurig's Absurd Java Bean DRM

from the you-do-it-to-yourself dept

We've of course been covering for some time Keurig's attempt to lock down the coffee pod market via the "java DRM" it embedded in its latest Keurig 2.0 coffee maker. The technology effectively tries to stop consumers from being able to use competitors' replacement pods (or the reusable pods), something the company's CEO originally (and quite feebly) tried to insist was necessary for the performance of the product and safety of the consumer. Not surprisingly, the effort resulted in a lot of mockery and a number of lawsuits, and it didn't take long for consumers to figure out ridiculously simple ways to beat the technology.

In an entirely new level of entertainment, Keurig competitors have now taken things one step further, and are giving away free Keurig 2.0 hacks that allow consumers to use whatever pods they like. Rogers Family Company Coffee and Tea's new plastic "Freedom Clip" simply attaches to the inside of the maker and fools the embedded scanner into believing all inserted coffee pods have been sanctioned by the great Keurig coffee authorities on high:Granted you can do the same thing with a piece of tape, but it's a more permanent and convenient solution for those who still insist on using a Keurig (instead of a traditional espresso machine like a civilized person). Rogers is, of course, milking Keurig's ham-fisted attempt at market dominance for all it's worth over at the company website:

"It does this by visually identifying a special ink on the lidding. Any cup without this “special” ink is rejected by the machine thus ensuring Keurig’s marketplace dominance. While other companies are quickly working to adopt this special ink to their cups we at Rogers Family Company believe that your right to choose any option is imperative...This clip is our gift to you. Now go forth and brew with freedom."

So really, all Keurig managed to accomplish with its ham-fisted java-bean DRM is make itself look incompetent and greedy, while at the same time giving competitors a massive new marketing opportunity by offering choice and freedom back to Keurig customers. Surely these lessons will be reflected in Keurig 3.0, right?

Filed Under: advertising, coffee, drm, hack, keurig
Companies: green mountain roasters, keurig, rogers, rogers family company coffee and tea