The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued John Deere & Company, alleging that the company unfairly restricts farmers’ ability to repair their own equipment or through independent shops. The lawsuit, filed alongside the attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota, aims to halt what the FTC views as anticompetitive conduct.
The complaint claims that John Deere’s restriction on software access for repairs is part of a larger trend towards proprietary restrictions, which can be devastating for farmers who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops. The company has taken steps to ensure only authorized dealers have access to necessary software tools, citing safety concerns and intellectual property theft as reasons.
However, critics argue that John Deere’s recent agreements with the American Farm Bureau Federation did not go far enough in addressing farmers’ needs. The FTC complaint represents a push from the Biden administration to make repairs less costly and time-consuming.
The lawsuit has drawn support from the right-to-repair movement, which advocates for legislation requiring companies to remove proprietary restrictions on repairs. The FTC’s vote was 3-2 in favor of suing John Deere, with one commissioner dissenting due to potential implications under President-elect Donald J. Trump’s administration.
The outcome of this suit is uncertain, but the right-to-repair movement has garnered significant support from farmers and advocates. As Michael Carrier, a law professor at Rutgers University, noted, “Nonetheless, it is now going to be underway in the courts.”
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/15/business/john-deere-ftc-lawsuit-repairs.html