Brother printers causing issues with third party inks: Difference between revisions
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[[Brother Industries Ltd.|Brother]] | [[Brother Industries Ltd.|Brother]] has a reputation for allowing third-party toner use & being more consumer friendly than competing printer 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 encourages the use of expensive genuine Brother toner.(citation needed) | ||
==Exploitative practices== | ==Exploitative practices== | ||
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*'''Vendor lock-in via DRM''' – Printers continue to function with third-party toner but print at degraded quality unless OEM toner is installed. | *'''Vendor lock-in via DRM''' – Printers continue to function with third-party toner but print at degraded quality unless OEM toner is installed. | ||
*'''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> | *'''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 practices''' – Printers do not | *'''Deceptive practices''' – Printers do not reject third-party toner but intentionally cause a toner failure, which discourages use of third party toners.<ref name="hackernews">[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31860131 Tell HN: Brother printers now locking out non-OEM paraphernalia.]</ref><ref name="reddit-2" /> | ||
==How it works== | ==How it works== | ||
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*Color registration '''fails automatically''', misaligning prints.<ref name="cups">[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/Printer-specific_problems#Updating_the_firmware ArchWiki - Printer-specific problems with Brother.]</ref> | *Color registration '''fails automatically''', misaligning prints.<ref name="cups">[https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/Printer-specific_problems#Updating_the_firmware ArchWiki - Printer-specific problems with Brother.]</ref> | ||
*Brother support | *Brother support acknowledges that installing OEM toner will resolve the issue instantly.<ref name="hackernews" /> | ||
*'''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> | ||
== | ==Impact on Consumer Protection== | ||
*Customers who | *Customers who were able to save money buying third-party toner are now '''forced into expensive OEM toner purchases'''. | ||
*Brother’s '''positive reputation''' for allowing third-party toner is tarnished. | *Brother’s '''positive reputation''' for allowing third-party toner is tarnished. | ||
*'''No prior warning''' was given to consumers before these updates were installed. | *'''No prior warning''' was given to consumers before these updates were installed. | ||
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==Brother's response== | ==Brother's response== | ||
On March 5th 2025, following the publication of a video on the Louis Rossmann | On March 5th 2025, following the publication of a video on the Louis Rossmann Youtube channel, Brother addressed the issue, in a response given to Ars Technica, stating the following <ref name="ars-response">[https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/brother-denies-using-firmware-updates-to-brick-printers-with-third-party-ink/ Brother denies using firmware updates to brick printers with third-party ink]</ref> | ||
<blockquote> | <blockquote> | ||
We are aware of the recent false claims suggesting that a Brother firmware update may have restricted the use of third-party ink cartridges. Please be assured that Brother firmware updates do not block the use of third-party ink in our machines. | We are aware of the recent false claims suggesting that a Brother firmware update may have restricted the use of third-party ink cartridges. Please be assured that Brother firmware updates do not block the use of third-party ink in our machines. | ||
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*This is similar to [[HP Dynamic Security]] which block non-OEM cartridges. | *This is similar to [[HP Dynamic Security]] which block non-OEM cartridges. | ||
=== Quality Example === | ===Quality Example=== | ||
[[File:Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32 before registration deleted.png|alt=Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of colour registration.|none|thumb|800x800px|'''Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of colour registration.''']] | [[File:Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32 before registration deleted.png|alt=Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of colour registration.|none|thumb|800x800px|'''Brother HL-L9310CDW 1.69 1.32, before deletion of colour registration.''']] | ||