The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has accused it of “unfair” practices that force farmers to pay more than average repair costs. The federal agency, along with the attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota, allege that the company engages in practices that prevent farmers from being able to repair their equipment.
In other words, this is another salvo in . The complaint alleges that John Deere engages in questionable practices, such as installing software on farm equipment, to discourage people from trying to fix things themselves. Additionally, the lawsuit points to “decades” of illegal behavior that pressured farmers into the company’s network of authorized dealers for repairs.
“Unlawful maintenance restrictions can be harmful to farmers, who rely on inexpensive and timely maintenance to harvest their crops and earn their income,” FTC Chairwoman Lina Khan said in a statement. “The FTC’s action today seeks to ensure that farmers across America are free to repair their equipment or use the repair shops of their choice.”
The lawsuit goes on to allege that Deere developed “the only fully functional software repair tool capable of performing all repairs” on its machines, which was only available from authorized dealers. These dealers are said to be charging higher prices than private shops, giving the company illegal leverage. Farmers have long believed they could do basic repairs, but computers shut down the systems until a licensed technician did their thing. This thing, it is alleged, simply flips a software switch.
Company. It even signed with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in 2023 to make its software, tools and documentation available to farmers and independent repair shops. It doesn’t look like that actually happened, as the court says it “continues to unlawfully withhold a fully functional repair tool from device owners.”
The lawsuit seeks to “stop Deere’s anti-competitive conduct” by authorizing access to its software repair tool, in addition to “other repair services available from authorized dealers.” Nathan Proctor, PIRG’s Right to Repair Campaign Director, that “We should not tolerate companies that block repairs. When you buy something, you should be able to do whatever you want with it.”