I think the short answer is that brands as a legitimate thing (a method by which a given maker-of-things could distinguish its products) were a relatively recent invention in human commerce, and were exploitable on a way that only even more recently was discovered. Essentially turns out the approach has a fatal flaw and that flaw has been exposed.
I suspect that this flaw has been exploited for a long time, and I also would assert that brands have been "a thing" for a long time. A brand is just a systematic attempt by a business to develop name recognition among customers and potential customers.
