Interplay between base and add-on products: Consumer education may prevent regulation of complementary product pricing

Interplay between base and add-on products: Consumer education may prevent regulation of complementary product pricing

The recent lawsuits associated with HP preventing third-party ink cartridges from being used in their printers highlight the challenges of monopolizing complementary, or add-on, products. HP's case, though, might be considered the more contentious version of a common business practice. Movie theaters and concert venues often restrict people's ability to bring in cheaper snacks to prioritize their own, more expensive, options—and effective monopo…