Brother printers causing issues with third party inks: Difference between revisions
m categorize incident |
Title case bad!! |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
==Brother Printer | ==Brother Printer firmware lockouts & print degradation== | ||
===Summary=== | ===Summary=== | ||
[[Brother Industries, Ltd.|Brother]] used to be known for allowing third-party toner use & being less consumer hostile than companies such as HP. In recent years, they've implemented '''firmware updates that deliberately degrade print quality when using non-OEM toner'''. These updates disable color registration & other features which coerces consumers into buying expensive genuine Brother toner. | [[Brother Industries, Ltd.|Brother]] used to be known for allowing third-party toner use & being less consumer hostile than companies such as HP. In recent years, they've implemented '''firmware updates that deliberately degrade print quality when using non-OEM toner'''. These updates disable color registration & other features which coerces consumers into buying expensive genuine Brother toner. | ||
===Nature of | ===Nature of exploitation=== | ||
*'''Post-Sale Function Removal''' – Firmware updates retroactively remove previously available features, such as automatic color registration, for users using non-OEM toner.<ref name="reddit">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/s9b2eg Brother MFC firmware update - non-genuine toner now disables critical features.]</ref> | *'''Post-Sale Function Removal''' – Firmware updates retroactively remove previously available features, such as automatic color registration, for users using non-OEM toner.<ref name="reddit">[https://www.reddit.com/r/printers/comments/s9b2eg Brother MFC firmware update - non-genuine toner now disables critical features.]</ref> | ||
*'''Vendor | *'''Vendor lock-in via DRM''' – Printers continue to function with third-party toner but print at degraded quality unless OEM toner is installed. | ||
*'''Anti- | *'''Anti-consumer software practices''' – Firmware updates cannot be easily rolled back, preventing consumers from restoring lost functionality.<ref name="github-fwupd">[https://github.com/sedrubal/brother_printer_fwupd/issues/9 Brother printer firmware downgrade discussion.]</ref> | ||
*'''Deceptive | *'''Deceptive practices''' – Printers do not outright reject third-party toner but instead '''engineer a failure''', misleading users into thinking their toner is defective.<ref name="hackernews">[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31860131 Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia.]</ref> | ||
===How | ===How it works=== | ||
1. Consumers purchase a '''Brother laser printer''' that previously accepted third-party toner. | 1. Consumers purchase a '''Brother laser printer''' that previously accepted third-party toner. | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
*'''Older firmware versions are removed from Brother’s servers''', preventing downgrades.<ref name="github-ohbrother">[https://github.com/CauldronDevelopmentLLC/oh-brother/issues/30 Discussion on firmware rollback for Brother printers.]</ref> | *'''Older firmware versions are removed from Brother’s servers''', preventing downgrades.<ref name="github-ohbrother">[https://github.com/CauldronDevelopmentLLC/oh-brother/issues/30 Discussion on firmware rollback for Brother printers.]</ref> | ||
===Real- | ===Real-world impact=== | ||
*Customers who used to save money buying third-party toner are now '''forced into expensive OEM purchases'''. | *Customers who used to save money buying third-party toner are now '''forced into expensive OEM purchases'''. | ||
*Brother’s '''positive reputation''' for allowing third-party toner is tarnished. | *Brother’s '''positive reputation''' for allowing third-party toner is tarnished. | ||
| Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
*Workarounds involve '''blocking firmware updates''' or attempting '''risky firmware downgrades''', both of which Brother actively discourages. | *Workarounds involve '''blocking firmware updates''' or attempting '''risky firmware downgrades''', both of which Brother actively discourages. | ||
===User | ===User evidence & reports=== | ||
====Hacker News Discussion (2025)==== | ====Hacker News Discussion (2025)==== | ||
*Users noticed that '''Brother printers accepted third-party toner but deliberately degraded print quality'''. | *Users noticed that '''Brother printers accepted third-party toner but deliberately degraded print quality'''. | ||
| Line 32: | Line 32: | ||
<blockquote>''Brother seems to be apparently accepting the ink, but then purposefully making the print quality poorer.''<ref name="hackernews" /></blockquote> | <blockquote>''Brother seems to be apparently accepting the ink, but then purposefully making the print quality poorer.''<ref name="hackernews" /></blockquote> | ||
====Reddit | ====Reddit reports (r/printers)==== | ||
*A '''firmware update on the Brother MFC-3750''' '''disabled automatic color registration''' when third-party toner was detected.<ref name="reddit" /> | *A '''firmware update on the Brother MFC-3750''' '''disabled automatic color registration''' when third-party toner was detected.<ref name="reddit" /> | ||
*A Brother support agent confirmed that installing OEM toner would "fix" the issue instantly, proving that the printer was being artificially restricted. | *A Brother support agent confirmed that installing OEM toner would "fix" the issue instantly, proving that the printer was being artificially restricted. | ||
====GitHub | ====GitHub developer investigation==== | ||
*A project analyzing '''Brother firmware updates''' discovered that '''older firmware versions were removed from Brother’s servers''', making it impossible for users to roll back to a working version.<ref name="github-fwupd" /> | *A project analyzing '''Brother firmware updates''' discovered that '''older firmware versions were removed from Brother’s servers''', making it impossible for users to roll back to a working version.<ref name="github-fwupd" /> | ||
*Another github discussion showed that '''Brother firmware updates increasingly lock out more non-Brother toner cartridges with each new update!'''<ref name="github-ohbrother" /> | *Another github discussion showed that '''Brother firmware updates increasingly lock out more non-Brother toner cartridges with each new update!'''<ref name="github-ohbrother" /> | ||
*This is similar to [[HP Dynamic Security]] which block non-OEM cartridges. | *This is similar to [[HP Dynamic Security]] which block non-OEM cartridges. | ||
===Comparison to | ===Comparison to other industry abuses=== | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
!Company!!Tactic Used | !Company!!Tactic Used | ||
| Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
|} | |} | ||
===Potential | ===Potential legal implications=== | ||
Deliberate function removal '''after purchase''' may qualify as '''deceptive trade practices''' in multiple jurisdictions | Deliberate function removal '''after purchase''' may qualify as '''deceptive trade practices''' in multiple jurisdictions | ||
=== | ===Mitigations available to users=== | ||
#'''Avoid Firmware Updates''' – Disable auto-updates to prevent forced function removal. | #'''Avoid Firmware Updates''' – Disable auto-updates to prevent forced function removal. This may, however, lead to security risks. | ||
#'''Try to downgrade''' – Some users have managed to roll back firmware, though this is increasingly difficult.<ref name="github-ohbrother" /> | #'''Try to downgrade''' – Some users have managed to roll back firmware, though this is increasingly difficult.<ref name="github-ohbrother" /> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||