diff --git a/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/client2proxy/Client2ProxyHandler.java b/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/client2proxy/Client2ProxyHandler.java
index 13725c2..1660c70 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/client2proxy/Client2ProxyHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/client2proxy/Client2ProxyHandler.java
@@ -205,7 +205,9 @@ public class Client2ProxyHandler extends SimpleChannelInboundHandler<IPacket> {
         this.proxyConnection.setUserOptions(userOptions);
         this.proxyConnection.getPacketHandlers().add(new StatusPacketHandler(this.proxyConnection));
         this.proxyConnection.getPacketHandlers().add(new OpenAuthModPacketHandler(this.proxyConnection));
-        this.proxyConnection.getPacketHandlers().add(new BrandCustomPayloadPacketHandler(this.proxyConnection));
+        if (clientVersion.newerThanOrEqualTo(ProtocolVersion.v1_8)) {
+            this.proxyConnection.getPacketHandlers().add(new BrandCustomPayloadPacketHandler(this.proxyConnection));
+        }
         this.proxyConnection.getPacketHandlers().add(new CompressionPacketHandler(this.proxyConnection));
         this.proxyConnection.getPacketHandlers().add(new LoginPacketHandler(this.proxyConnection));
         if (clientVersion.newerThanOrEqualTo(ProtocolVersion.v1_20_5)) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/packethandler/BrandCustomPayloadPacketHandler.java b/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/packethandler/BrandCustomPayloadPacketHandler.java
index 89353d5..5d76b0d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/packethandler/BrandCustomPayloadPacketHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/raphimc/viaproxy/proxy/packethandler/BrandCustomPayloadPacketHandler.java
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
  */
 package net.raphimc.viaproxy.proxy.packethandler;
 
-import com.viaversion.viaversion.api.protocol.version.ProtocolVersion;
 import com.viaversion.viaversion.util.Key;
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBufUtil;
@@ -51,8 +50,7 @@ public class BrandCustomPayloadPacketHandler extends PacketHandler {
     public boolean handleP2S(IPacket packet, List<ChannelFutureListener> listeners) {
         if (packet instanceof UnknownPacket unknownPacket
                 && (unknownPacket.packetId == this.customPayloadId && this.proxyConnection.getP2sConnectionState() == ConnectionState.PLAY
-                || unknownPacket.packetId == this.configCustomPayloadId && this.proxyConnection.getP2sConnectionState() == ConnectionState.CONFIGURATION)
-                && this.proxyConnection.getClientVersion().newerThanOrEqualTo(ProtocolVersion.v1_8)) {
+                || unknownPacket.packetId == this.configCustomPayloadId && this.proxyConnection.getP2sConnectionState() == ConnectionState.CONFIGURATION)) {
             final ByteBuf data = Unpooled.wrappedBuffer(unknownPacket.data);
             final String channel = PacketTypes.readString(data, Short.MAX_VALUE); // channel
             if (Key.namespaced(channel).equals(BRAND_CHANNEL) || channel.equals(LEGACY_BRAND_CHANNEL)) {