If @Keurig adds DRM to its K-Cup system, I will stop buying Keurig products.

Simple as that.

Keurig is setting itself up to attempt a type of coffee “DRM” on the pods used in its coffee-making machines, according to a report from Techdirt. Keurig’s next-gen machines would be unable to interact with third-party coffee pods, thus locking customers into buying only the Keurig-branded K-cups or those of approved partners.

The single-cup coffee brewers made by Keurig (owned by Green Mountain Coffee) spurred a rush by coffee brands into the single-cup-pod trade. The K-Cup patent expired in 2012, and prior to that, Green Mountain bought up many of its competitors, including Tully’s Coffee Corporation and Timothy’s Coffees. Competitors continue to sell K-Cups, often at a 15- to 25 percent markdown from Green Mountain’s own pods, according to a lawsuit filed against Green Mountain by TreeHouse Foods.

Hey, you know what else is simple, more or less? The K-Cup brewing process itself. Coming up with a device that can duplicate Keurig’s brewing and uses a K-cup doesn’t sound impossibly difficult. It’s essentially ‘high-speed pushing hot water through pre-made grounds:” I’m mildly shocked that there aren’t knockoffs already…

Via Instapundit.

Moe Lane

15 thoughts on “If @Keurig adds DRM to its K-Cup system, I will stop buying Keurig products.”

      1. You know, out of all the things I’m never gonna do, I’m pretty sure spending $2500 on a coffee maker is one of them. O.o

        1. Well, yeah, it’s an investment… but it turns beans and water into delicious coffee at the push of a button.
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          No prep, no filters, occasionally adding beans and water and emptying the drip tray, no thinking through how to make coffee before drinking the first cup.
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          More important, though, and to your point .. The Miele will make over 1,000,000 individual cups in its’ lifetime, easily, and with no waste. How many is a good Mr. Coffee or Krupp unit good for, and at what point is the Miele cheaper?
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          Besides, think of Moe’s tip jar!
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          Mew

  3. (previous comment with two links stuck in moderation queue, repeating here as comment with reply)
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    Know what’s even simpler?
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    Not buying a Keurig in the first place.
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    Tried their stuff, it’s just not all that good.
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    Mew
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    p.s. for those turned off by the Miele’s pricetag, consider this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047BIWSK/

  4. I’m mildly shocked that there aren’t knockoffs already…
     
    I’m not. The machine very likely contains several trivial and obvious features that Keurig has somehow patented, and the fact that these elements shouldn’t have been deemed patentable is now irrelevant — if you try to sell a knockoff, the legal lampreys will attack you and drain you dry.

    1. A quick scan of amazon.com shows that at least two manufacturers (Bunn and Cafe Valet) make something similar to the K-cup. Not *quite* as tidy, but .. not bad.
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      Still prefer the Miele for simplicity or the Aerobie for flavor, eh?
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      Mew

  5. What #%@&ing good is a single cup coffee maker? I REQUIRE a full pot to finish my transformation from “tired angry ogre whose sleep was so rudely interrupted” to something vaguely resembling a proto-human….

    1. I drink a single cup of coffee a day and my aunt would love to drink coffee all day long. A single cup coffee maker would work for the both of us.

      1. Just caught what that really means: Push a button, get fresh coffee. It holds the ingredients (pre loaded) for many cups at one time, but only brews one cup when the button is pushed.
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        I could see the utility of this…..

    2. This is why I got rid of my Keurig. My travel mug used two k-cups, I drank two of those a day, and a box would only last me roughly a week. At $15 bucks a box I just couldn’t afford a $60 a month coffee budget.

  6. Every half-wit business conslutant in the world thinks they can create another “walled garden” and mint money like Apple has been doing with iOS.

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