[Leica] Leica blocking 3rd party batteries in firmware?

[leicaslacker at gmail.com (kyle cassidy on the lug)]

Howdy folks ? 

I?ve been using 3rd party batteries in all of my cameras since 
Australopithecus started banging rocks together -- in Panasonics, Nikons, 
and various Leica?s with no problem. In fact, I?ve often wondered if workers 
from the OEM shop sneak back in at night and continue production without 
labeling them. 

I recently got four off-brand M9 batteries (from two different retailers) 
and notice a curious behavior ? when they?re fully charged often the camera 
will give a ?battery low? warning and shut down ? however voltage meter 
shows the batteries are fully charged. I?m wondering if Leica has possibly 
chipped it's batteries and instructed the camera not to work with 3rd party 
batteries (in the same way that the Keuring coffee-machines recognize 
imposter K-Cups and refuse to work with them.) I can think of several 
possible reasons for this, but chipping the batteries I think is the most 
likely. Another option is that only 3rd party manufacturers who make 
batteries for Leica cameras are hucksters, but it seems less likely.

Any thoughts on this? $130 for a battery is $120 that I could use toward a 
plane ticket to photograph something with a battery that?s worth $10. 

Kyle