Panasonic issues 'battery safety' firmware

[Hedgehog]

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0906/09061701panaservicenotice.asp

WHAT? If I owned a Panasonic camera I'd never install this... ever! I've been using non-standard batteries (made by some of the best battery makers in the world) for years without a problem (they are actually better batteries)... & at £7 a throw instead of around £60 for genuine it's a no-brainer. By making the camera only take genuine batteries Panasonic are going to alienate a lot of their customers... whatever happened to freedom of choice?... & they wonder why people try to illegally hack their firmware... if Canon ever try it I'll be looking at Nikon very seriously as an alternative.

[Tracey]

Why are they going down that route? I have to admit, I wouldnt like to be dictated what battery I was allowed to use if another reputable manufacturer manufactured and sold them cheaper.

Are they shooting themselves in the foot here?

[Hedgehog]

Essentially if a battery is faulty & overheats you'd have a claim against the battery manufacturer... but it may be that they've had counter claims from battery manufacturers claiming that the camera caused the battery to overheat & cause a fire, which is why they've gone down this route... unlikely... it could be driven by safety concerns but on the surface it just looks like a money making scam. 

[Tracey]

I guess it does. Trouble is you've generally invested your money in the camera and other equipment before you find out things like this