Philips

Philips (Koninklijke Philips N.V.) licenses its consumer electronics brand to third-party manufacturers that have repeatedly shut down internet-connected features on products still in use, without offering refunds or adequate compensation.^[1] TP Vision disabled all Smart TV services on 2009-2013 Philips TVs in April 2025, Signify terminated cloud support for the original Philips Hue Bridge in April 2020, & Gibson Innovations stripped smart features from Philips-branded Blu-ray players in 2016.^[2][3] The Dutch Data Protection Authority also found TP Vision monitoring what Philips Smart TV owners watched, which websites they visited, & which apps they used, all without informed consent.^[4]

• TP Vision terminated all internet-connected features on Philips Smart TVs sold between 2009 & 2013, effective April 25, 2025. The company told owners to buy "external devices such as Android HDMI sticks or game consoles" to restore functionality.^[1]
• In December 2016, TP Vision shut down the Net TV platform on 12 models of 2009-era Philips Smart TVs (8000 & 9000 series), citing the SHA-1 to SHA-2 security certificate migration as the technical reason. TP Vision offered affected owners a Fire TV Stick as compensation.^[5]
• Gibson Innovations disabled Smart TV interfaces on Philips-branded Blu-ray & media players (2010-2014 models) in February 2016 without prior notice. When consumers contacted Philips support, representatives said it was "too much work to maintain the devices on a good level."^[3][6]
• Signify ended server support for the first-generation Philips Hue Bridge (v1) in April 2020. Cloud control, voice assistant integration, & the v1 mobile app were permanently retired by April 30, 2022. No trade-in program was offered; the replacement v2 bridge cost $59.99.^[2]
• The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) investigated TP Vision in 2013 & found the company collected data on TV viewing habits, app usage, & website visits from over 1.2 million Smart TVs sold in the Netherlands since 2009, without adequate consent mechanisms.^[4]

Royal Philips was founded in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in 1891 as a lightbulb manufacturer.^[7] The company grew into one of the world's largest electronics conglomerates but began divesting its consumer-facing divisions in the 2010s to focus on healthcare technology.^[7]

In April 2012, Philips transferred its TV division into a joint venture called TP Vision, operated by Hong Kong-based TPV Technology. TPV held a 70% stake; Philips retained 30%.^[8] By 2014, TP Vision took full control of the Philips TV brand in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, South America, India, & select Asia-Pacific regions.^[9] In North America, Philips televisions are manufactured & distributed under a separate licensing agreement with Funai Electric.^[9]

Philips sold its audio, video, multimedia, & accessories division to Gibson Brands for $135 million in April 2014. The subsidiary was renamed Gibson Innovations.^[10] Gibson Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2018, & Royal Philips revoked the license. The global rights for Philips-branded audio & video accessories transferred to TPV Technology (TP Vision's parent) on June 1, 2018.^[11]

Philips spun off its lighting division in May 2016. The independent entity was renamed Signify N.V. in 2018 but continues to market products under the Philips brand, including the Philips Hue smart lighting line.^[12]

Main article: Philips shuts down Smart TV service of a lot models sold between 2009 and 2013

TP Vision terminated all internet-connected features on Philips Smart TVs manufactured between 2009 & 2013, effective April 25, 2025. The shutdown disabled Smart TV apps, dashboards, & the built-in internet browser. TP Vision's support page cited "unresolvable technical limitations" & "cyber security" as the reason, directing owners to purchase external streaming devices instead of offering compensation.^[1]

In December 2016, TP Vision shut down the Net TV platform on 12 Philips Smart TV models from the 2009 8000 & 9000 series. The stated cause was that streaming partners migrated from SHA-1 to SHA-2 security certificates, & the 2009 TV hardware couldn't receive a firmware update to support SHA-2. TP Vision offered affected owners an Amazon Fire TV Stick as a partial replacement.^[5]

Gibson Innovations removed Smart TV functionality from Philips-branded Blu-ray & media players (2010-2014 models) in February 2016 without advance notice. Users attempting to access Net TV encountered a blank screen or a looping sign-in prompt. Philips support told complainants it was "too much work to maintain the devices." Gibson offered a Google Chromecast as compensation.^[3][6]

Signify discontinued server support for the first-generation Philips Hue Bridge in April 2020. Cloud-based features including remote access & voice assistant integration (Alexa, Google Home) stopped working. The dedicated v1 mobile app was permanently retired on April 30, 2022. Signify stated the v1 hardware "no longer has the resources to guarantee the evolution of the system," & directed owners to purchase the v2 bridge at $59.99 with no trade-in discount.^[2]

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, then called CBP) investigated TP Vision in 2013 & found the company was monitoring which programs viewers watched, which websites they visited, & which apps they used on Philips Smart TVs. TP Vision had sold over 1.2 million Smart TVs in the Netherlands since 2009. CBP board member Wilbert Tomesen stated: "Most people do not even know their smart TV gathers information about their viewing habits." TP Vision was required to modify its data retention policies & introduce clear consent mechanisms to comply with the Dutch Data Protection Act.^[4]

In July 2018, the European Commission fined Philips for restricting the ability of online retailers to set their own prices on Philips-branded products in France, a practice known as resale price maintenance (RPM). Commissioner Margrethe Vestager stated that Philips threatened to block product supplies when retailers priced below Philips' mandated minimums.^[13] Because Philips cooperated with the investigation, the fine was reduced by 40% to a final penalty of EUR 29.8 million.^[14]

Between 1996 & 2006, Philips participated in a cartel with Samsung, LG, & Panasonic to fix the prices of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) used in televisions & monitors. The European Commission fined Philips EUR 509 million in 2012 for its role in the cartel.^[15] The Dutch Consumer Association (Consumentenbond) & ConsumentenClaim launched a collective action (the "Beeldbuisclaim") representing over 65,000 consumers who paid artificially inflated prices. In June 2025, the Court of Appeal in Den Bosch ruled that the case assessing Philips' financial liability to consumers must proceed.^[15]

Royal Philips sold millions of CPAP & Bi-PAP devices through its subsidiary Philips Respironics containing polyurethane foam that degraded into potentially carcinogenic particles. Philips recalled over 15 million devices in 2021.^[16] Investigations by ProPublica found that Philips executives knew about the foam degradation as early as 2015 but did not alert the FDA or the public until the 2021 recall.^[17] In April 2024, Philips agreed to a $1.1 billion settlement to resolve U.S. personal injury & wrongful death claims without admitting liability.^[18] A separate European class action launched in Milan in July 2024 on behalf of 1.2 million affected users, with over 20,000 German patients joining by late 2024.^[16] In November 2025, over 100 institutional shareholders filed a EUR 1 billion claim against Royal Philips in the Netherlands, alleging the company hid the CPAP safety data since 2015.^[16]

• Philips Smart TVs (manufactured by TP Vision)
• Philips Hue smart lighting (manufactured by Signify)
• Philips Respironics CPAP/Bi-PAP devices

• Right to Repair
• Planned obsolescence
• Philips shuts down Smart TV service of a lot models sold between 2009 and 2013
• Philips Hue starts requiring an account for the Hue app
• Philips Hue: MotionAwareTM