FTC sues John Deere, alleging decades of monopolized repairs
America's top consumer watchdog has sued tractor maker John Deere for monopolizing tech repair services for its machinery, though whether the lawsuit will survive the pending presidential transition remains to be seen.
With just days until Biden leaves office, and the Democrat-led FTC cedes control to Republicans under President-elect Trump, the federal regulator has decided to file suit against Deere over what it said is decades of unlawful practices that have driven up repair costs and caused losses for farmers left without the ability to repair equipment in a timely manner. The FTC was joined in filing the complaint by the states of Minnesota and Illinois; the suit was filed in the latter.
"Deere's unlawful practices have limited the ability of farmers and independent repair providers to repair Deere equipment, forcing farmers to instead rely on Deere's network of authorized dealers for necessary repairs," the FTC said in a statement. "This unfair steering practice has boosted Deere's multi-billion-dollar profits on agricultural equipment and parts."
The specifics of the complaint [PDF] will look familiar to anyone who has followed the years-long saga of repairability groups, farmers, and the federal government to force Deere to open its tractors, combines, and other farm equipment to repair by third parties and device owners.
