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[edit | edit source]
DSF & DRM: a misuse of market power[edit | edit source]
Brother non-industrial printers & copiers hold the third largest market share in the Asia Pacific region 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.
End 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.
- Reduction in print capacity via software, firmware and hardware.
- Disabling of functionality via print counters, software and firmware.
- Nagware screens or pop-ups indicating firmware or software should be updated.
- Limited or obfuscated information regarding effects of software or firmware update implementation.
This follows similar practices from manufacturers like HP forcing a "Dynamic Security Feature" (DSF) and Dymo implementing "Digital Rights Management" (DRM) via firmware updates, thus limiting the end user to officially sanctioned replacement parts.
Incidents[edit | edit source]
Listed models, links and issue cases from users experiencing restrictive implementation:
- TN620 Laser Toner: print counter reduces copy capacity
- MFC-3750CDW All-in-One Printer: 3rd party cartridge rejection
- Cartridge Battery Prevents Ink Usage: DCP 3550 CDW Cartridge Failure
References[edit | edit source]
- Australian Consumer Law: S18 S29 S33
- HP PPS Australia Legal Case: undertaking outcome
- Additional Firmware Help: LD Blog
- Statistica: Printers & Copiers - Australia Overview Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- Shaak, Erin (October 11, 2018). "Class Action Claims Brother International Designed Laser Printers to Require Premature Toner Replacement". ClassAction.org. Retrieved January 28, 2025.
- Edwards, Jessy (August 19, 2024) "HP agrees to settlement in overpriced, incompatible ink cartridge class action". Top Class Actions. Retrieved January 28, 2025.