Brother Industries Ltd.
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1908 |
| Legal structure | Public |
| Industry | Printers, Machinery |
| Official website | https://global.brother/ |
Brother Industries, Ltd. manufactures and sells communications and printing equipment in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, Africa, and internationally. It operates through Printing & Solutions, Machinery, Domino, Nissei, Personal & Home, and Network & Contents segments.
Brother has faced consumer criticism and regulatory action, having been criticized for practices that allegedly reduce choice, obfuscate information and accelerate product obsolescence.
Consumer impact summary
Brother non-industrial printers & copiers hold the third largest market share in the Asia Pacific region[1] and are a popular choice for home and small business users. Brother's monochromatic, colour, multi-function, laser, and inkjet printers offer a low-price entry and are sold at most large box retailers, where consumables such as toners and cartridges are also readily available. Within the printer category at the largest office and stationery retailer in Australia, Officeworks, Brother is the most represented brand.[2]
Users have reported that Brother has initiated various methods to limit or reduce functionality on many printers prior and during usage. This includes:
- 3rd party consumable lockout on various printer models[3]
- Reduction in print capacity via software, firmware and hardware[4]
- Disabling of functionality via print counters, software and firmware[5]
- Nagware screens or pop-ups indicating firmware or software should be updated
- Limited or obfuscated information regarding effects of software or firmware update implementation[6]
Incidents
Listed models, links and issue cases from users experiencing restrictive implementation:
- TN620 Laser Toner: print counter reduces copy capacity[4]
- MFC-3750CDW All-in-One Printer: 3rd party cartridge rejection[6]
- Cartridge Battery Prevents Ink Usage: DCP 3550 CDW Cartridge Failure
- MFC-L2750DW All-in-One Printer: 3rd party cartridge rejection
References
- ↑ "Printers & Copiers - Australia". Statista Market Forecast. Retrieved 29 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Printers". Officeworks. Retrieved 29 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Brother started locking out third party cartridges by firmware updates apparently". Hacker News. 11 Jul 2023. Retrieved 29 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 Shaak, Erin (16 Oct 2018). "Class Action Claims Brother International Designed Laser Printers to Require Premature Toner Replacement". ClassAction.org. Retrieved 29 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "MFC-L3750CDW/MFC-L3760CDW vs MF655Cdw". r/printers. Retrieved 29 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Brother MFC-3750CDW won't accept non-genuine ink?". Whirlpool. 22 Mar 2025. Retrieved 29 Aug 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)