John Deere has agreed to a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to make the same repair tools used by its dealers available to farmers and independent repair shops “on fair and reasonable terms." The proposed settlement would end an antitrust lawsuit brought by the FTC and state attorneys general in Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Under the proposed settlement, Deere agreed to make available tools for reading and resetting electronic fault codes, reprogramming electronic components, restarting machines following emissions-related shutdowns, viewing technical manuals, troubleshooting solutions, and making other repairs available for farmers and independent repair shops (IRPs).
In addition, it would require the company to distribute future versions of repair resources to producers and IRPs after they become available to more than half of Deere’s authorized U.S. dealer network. The agreement, if approved by U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston in Illinois’ Northern District, would last for 10 years.
In a statement Deere said the agreement “provides real, tangible benefits to America’s farmers.” The statement said the settlement not only requires Deere to provide electronic repair tools like its PRO Service to farmers and IRPs, but also prevents the company from "making tools technically available but pricing them in a manner that may make them functionally unavailable to farmers and IRPs.”
Earlier this year, Deere agreed to pay $99 million and provide equipment owners with access to repair resources to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by farmers over the company’s repair practices. That settlement awaits final approval from Johnston, the judge overseeing both cases.