His video has over 160,000 views and accuses Brother of jumping on the anti-consumer bandwagon alongside its less-than-ethical competitors. Brother has traditionally been a safe haven for these sorts of antics, so the fear that it might have joined the Dark Side is a serious issue.

The fuss started with online gripes, including a 2022 Reddit post that claimed firmware update W1.56 had effectively crippled a Brother MFC-3750 when non-Brother toner was installed, rendering automatic colour registration useless.

Brother, of course, insists it’s all a big misunderstanding. In a statement to Fudzilla, the company flatly rejected the accusations.

A company spokesperson said: “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. While we encourage using Brother Genuine ink and toner for optimal performance and reliability, our updates are designed to enhance functionality and security, not limit consumer choice. We are actively addressing the source of these false claims to ensure accurate information is available to our customers.”