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Deere & Company sued for alleged repair monopoly
John Deere has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission and the states of Minnesota and Illinois, claiming the company uses unfair practices that prevent farmers from repairing their own equipment.
The suit, filed Wednesday claims Deere and Company forces farmers to rely on dealers to make repairs, driving up repair costs and extending equipment down time.
The FTC filed the lawsuit one day after John Deere announced they would be supporting customers’ ability to maintain and repair their machines, including giving farmers and independent repair technicians’ access to Deere electronic controllers. In a statement, Deere says, “We are committed to offering customers the best equipment ownership experience, both in the form of world-class dealer support and extensive self-repair resources.”
The FTC claims the only fully functional software repair tool capable of repairs on Deere equipment is Service ADVISOR and is produced and controlled by Deere and its dealerships, creating an unlawful monopoly on repair services. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Illinois’ northern district. It seeks to force John Deere to make Service ADVISOR repair tools available to machinery owners and independent repair shops so they can diagnose and repair their own equipment.
The Federal Trade Commission’s 3-2 vote narrowly authorized the lawsuit against John Deere.
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