Here is the other thing to consider when bringing the ACT out to suit. Epson can indicate that they have indeed left a door for aftermarket to go through. However they must be able to produce their own keys to do so however. You cannot just use Epson signature and keys to open the door.
There is a reason why there existed things like Phoenix BIOS and AMI Bios and the hoops they went through to make compatible BIOSes way way back on early PCs. Yes, you could have simply copied IBM bios EEPROMS and stuck them in but....you could only do so for personal "experimentation". I did that and gained 100% compatibility while experimenting. However a PC mfr could sell a similar machine. You could also not sell copied BIOSes as well which is likely what the aftermarket carts and decoders are carrying.
So it is not the ink that is the issue (oil) it is the digital side (key) that the aftermarket has not been able to reproduce so far. Epson did not block aftermarket cartridges, they simply prevented their machines from using stolen information which they have every right to do.
There is a reason why there existed things like Phoenix BIOS and AMI Bios and the hoops they went through to make compatible BIOSes way way back on early PCs. Yes, you could have simply copied IBM bios EEPROMS and stuck them in but....you could only do so for personal "experimentation". I did that and gained 100% compatibility while experimenting. However a PC mfr could sell a similar machine. You could also not sell copied BIOSes as well which is likely what the aftermarket carts and decoders are carrying.
So it is not the ink that is the issue (oil) it is the digital side (key) that the aftermarket has not been able to reproduce so far. Epson did not block aftermarket cartridges, they simply prevented their machines from using stolen information which they have every right to do.
