Brother accused of locking down third-party printer ink cartridges via forced firmware updates, removing older firmware versions from support portals
www.tomshardware.com
RepairTuber Louis Rossmann taken aback by Brother’s quiet turn to the dark side.
    • gutter_angel@lemm.eeEnglish
      4·
      2 hours ago

      i came across this explanation of it, haven’t verified it directly but he seems to make good content:

      https://youtube.com/shorts/ZX8OaZZDlM8

      he says theres identification each time you print using the yellow ink, and basically is a counterfeit currency countermeasure

      id kill to have a foss print setup though

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      3·
      30 minutes ago

      Same. My printer works fine, and I recently replaced my toner (went genuine because I found a decent deal), so I probably won’t need another anytime soon.

      That said, I will no longer be recommending them until this is cleared up. I won’t be recommending against them though, because I don’t know of a better company, but I’ll just recommend people go to their local library or print shop or something and not deal with having a printer at home.

    • werefreeatlast@lemmy.worldEnglish
      41·
      1 hour ago

      I got a 4 acre lot on Mars that I’m selling for cheap. You seem like a gulli…great fellow. $10k. Its pretty cheap right now because people don’t known the real estate trend yet. I’m taking amazon cards.

  • MisanthropiCynic@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    4 hours ago

    They deny it was the firmware update. But not that something else has happened

    I’ve had issues with colour but not B&W

  • wowwoweowza@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    4 hours ago

    So… when there is some controversy over an article in Lemmy it gets the strike though? How did this evolve?

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      44 minutes ago

      If you read the article:

      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.

      So there’s no reason to leave an inflammatory and likely wrong title unchanged or otherwise without notation. The title is completely readable. I’m all for wrong information being flagged, and a strikethrough is a fine method of doing so.

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        26 minutes ago

        We don’t know if it’s wrong though, we just have a statement from the company claiming it is. Now it’s on the community to prove it.

        It’s potentially wrong. I guess we’ll see in the coming weeks as people try to prove it one way or another.

        That said, the allegation that old firmware isn’t accessible is easy to verify and very troubling for Brother if true (what are they hiding?).

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          19 minutes ago

          There is no official report of Brother doing what it’s accused of. Only a couple people having issues with a few cartridges, no analysis of whether the flaw was in the third party cartridge or an actual firmware issue, but we should get out the pitchforks and torches and leave a completely unproven statement up? I completely disagree. There’s too much BS passed off as objective truth as it is.

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            1·
            10 minutes ago

            One or two reports could be chalked up to noise. Rossmann provided much more than that. I’m not saying he’s right, I’m just saying there’s sufficient evidence that I’m not just going to accept “nope, we don’t do that.”

            We certainly need more evidence, and hopefully Rossmann’s video reaches enough people to get it, one way or another. He has demonstrated admitting when he is wrong, and he has also demonstrated doing the research.

            I doubt this is the last we hear about this, and I sincerely hope Brother is redeemed.

      • bss03@infosec.pubEnglish
        1·
        28 minutes ago

        I see editability as generally an improvement, especially since the older versions are still visible with a couple of clicks. Reddit titles are not editable. Tweets used to be uneditable; toots are.

  • MisterFrog@lemmy.worldEnglish
    20·
    7 hours ago

    I’m curious how this will go down in Australia. Seems like a pretty solid slam dunk refund, oh the product doesn’t work as advertised anymore?

    Cool, I’ve had this for 5 years and now I’d also like a full refund under Australian Consumer Law.

    Motherfuckers.

    (I don’t actually own a printer)

    • JackFrostNCola@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      6 hours ago

      I imagine they have some stupid note or sticker somewhere saying “to avoid damaging your printer only use genuine Brother replacement cartridges”.
      Then all they have to say is “we patched a bug where unverified 3rd party ink cartriges could erroneously be used and cause malfunction or damage to the product.”

      • MisterFrog@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        3 hours ago

        I found this help article where they say “Although not all non-genuine supplies may cause quality issues”.

        They said they recommend using theirs, but up until this they didn’t say you couldn’t.

        https://support.brother.com/g/b/sp/faqend.aspx?c=us_ot&lang=en&prod=dcpl2647dw_us&faqid=faq00000184_002

        Plus, it’s been universally understood that you have been able to use third-party cartridges. I really think if you’re persistent enough, you’d get a refund in Australia. Because else (in Victoria at least) you could take them to VCAT for like $70, which will cost them wayyy more in lawyer expenses than the price of a refund.

        This is not legal advice, but I reckon a refund under Australian Consumer Law is extremely doable if they go down this path (for existing printers).

    • thermal_shock@lemmy.worldEnglish
      3·
      3 hours ago

      My client has a few dozen zebras. Reliable, but cost a little more up front. Some of theirs are 10+ years old, prints thousands of inventory labels a month off each one at each site.

  • Phoenixz@lemmy.caEnglish
    251·
    11 hours ago

    As much as I love the brand, this was just obviously going to happen. It always happens, it’s the eventual outcome. All that is needed is one middle manager wanting to get an extra bones to come up with some short sighted idea that will make a little extra money in the short run and possibly bankrupt the company in the long term.

    See Boeing, see Intel, see…

    The only way to not have this happen is to get open source hardware. The open source eco system is amazing already but we need more focus on that, hardware. CPU’s, Computers, printers, phones, everything

    • Bakkoda@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      2·
      10 hours ago

      What’s worse is remaining “ethical” in the world of business they exist in is a flat out detractor. A financial hindrance of the utmost.

  • ChiefGyk3D@infosec.pubEnglish
    22·
    14 hours ago

    I really wish we had open source 2D printers like we have open source 3D printers. That could solve a lot of the problems I think as we could have an open spec to allow people to do whatever they want. My Prusa doesn’t care what brand filament I want to use, just as long it can drive it, melt it, and lay it down the way I need. Also why is it my 3D printers are more reliable than my 2D printers most days?

    • letsgo@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      5 hours ago

      Can’t a 3D printer double as a 2D printer? It’d only have to print one “slice”; you’d replace the heated nozzle with some sort of writing stick, hey presto instant plotter!