John Deere owners will get the right to repair equipment under FTC settlement
摘要
本文报道 John Deere 与 FTC 及亚利桑那、伊利诺伊、密歇根、明尼苏达、威斯康星州总检察长达成和解，规定公司必须向设备所有者和独立维修店提供诊断和维修工具，并禁止经销商因客户选择独立维修而进行报复。和解内容包括公司支付五州共 100 万美元反垄断执法成本，未来 10 年内接受严格合规监督。原告指控公司仅向授权经销商提供完整服务软件给其他人，Deere 否认此举并称该协议强化了灵活维修选项。
荐读理由
Deere 同意给独立修理店开放维修软件工具与诊断工具；独立开发者在 AI 系统工程里也能把这类开源维修框架移植到自家产品，少走一次依赖经销商的弯路
原文
John Deere owners will get the right to repair their own equipment under a new FTC settlement
John Deere owners will get the right to repair their own equipment under a new FTC settlement
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A John Deer emblem is seen at the Husker Harvest Days farm show in Wood River, Neb., Sept. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)
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John Deere tractors sit in Norfolk Southern’s Conway Yard in Conway, Pa., Dec. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
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It looks like John Deere owners can soon feel free to fix their own machines.
The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.
The Illinois-based manufacturer has faced complaints for years for withholding the software needed for repairs and forcing customers to use authorized dealers instead of independent ones.
This marks the second right-to-repair settlement Deere has reached this year, following a separate $99 million class-action settlement with farmers in April. Though the class-action compensated consumers, the FTC’s settlement instead requires Deere to make its repair services available to equipment owners and independent shops.
The FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin brought the antitrust lawsuit in January 2025, arguing that Deere had illegally restricted farmers and independent shops that might otherwise service them from repairing farm equipment such as tractors. Deere also makes engines and equipment for forestry, landscaping and construction.
Under the order filed in Illinois, Deere will now be required to make diagnostic and repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair shops, not only its own network of authorized dealers. It also prevents Deere dealers from retaliating against equipment owners or repair shops who choose to fix their own equipment instead of paying for Deere’s services. The order is headed to Judge Iain D. Johnston for his approval.
“For too long, Arizona farmers and independent mechanics have been at the mercy of Deere’s monopoly over repair tools, forced to wait — and pay — for authorized dealers just to fix broken tractors and other equipment,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement Wednesday.
Deere must pay $1 million collectively to the five states for antitrust enforcement costs and will be subject to strict compliance oversight for the next 10 years.
In the complaint, the FTC argued that Deere provides a service software tool to authorized dealers but does not provide the full version to equipment owners or independent shops. Deere had said the lawsuit was baseless, denied that its distribution of service tools was anticompetitive and argued that it could not monopolize services since it does not directly provide them.
Deere maintained its commitment to independent repair in a statement Wednesday, adding that the agreement with the FTC reinforces its innovation of more flexible repair options.
“This is good news for our customers and for the future of how Deere equipment is supported,” said Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support.
Right-to-repair has become an increasingly common issue over the years, especially for tech products, with consumers complaining that even simple repairs can only be done by company-authorized dealers.
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