The FTC and agricultural machinery manufacturer Deere & Company have reached a settlement in an antitrust lawsuit, agreeing to provide parts and information to farmers and repair shops for 10 years.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that it has reached a settlement with Deere & Company, which operates the well-known agricultural machinery brand 'John Deere.' The two companies had been in dispute over consumers' 'right to repair' their products.
FTC, States Secure Settlement with Deere & Company, Advancing Farmers' Right to Repair | Federal Trade Commission
Deere & Company is an agricultural machinery manufacturer based in Illinois, known for its 'John Deere' brand.
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In January 2025, the FTC, along with the attorneys general of Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Deere & Company, alleging that the company had 'illegally restricted farmers and independent repair shops that provide services to farmers from repairing tractors and other agricultural machinery.'
The FTC argued that 'Dear & Company provides service software tools to authorized dealers but does not provide the full version of the tools to farmers who own agricultural machinery or independent repair shops.' Deer & Company countered that 'the distribution of service tools is not an anti-competitive practice, and since we are not directly providing a service, it does not constitute a monopoly, and therefore the lawsuit is unfounded.'
As a result of the settlement, Dear & Company will comply with the following demands:
- To provide farmers and independent repair shops with repair parts equivalent to those provided to Deere & Company's authorized dealers, on fair and reasonable terms. This includes reading and resetting electronic component fault codes, reprogramming electronic components including pairing with new parts, restarting machines after exhaust-induced shutdowns, and providing information such as access to and retrieval of technical manuals.
- Once Deere & Company has supplied half of its authorized dealers with repair parts for equipment to be released in the future, it will provide farmers and independent repair shops with similar or reasonably necessary repair parts.
- Inform certified dealers about the availability of repair parts and instruct them not to discriminate against or retaliate against farmers or independent repair shops that purchase and use parts without using the dealer's repair services.
- Disseminate information about this settlement and the availability of repair parts from Deere & Company to the general public, farmers who use Deere & Company products, independent repair shops, and authorized dealers.
The settlement is valid for 10 years, and may be extended if Dear & Company violates the terms of the settlement.
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