FTC Investigating John Deere Over ‘Right To Repair’ Violations
from the do-not-pass-go,-do-not-collect-$200 dept
A few years ago agricultural equipment giant John Deere found itself on the receiving end of an antitrust lawsuit for its efforts to monopolize tractor repair. The lawsuits noted that the company consistently purchased competing repair centers in order to consolidate the sector and force customers into using the company’s own repair facilities, driving up costs and logistical hurdles dramatically for farmers.
John Deere executives have repeatedly promised to do better, then just ignored those promises.
Earlier this year John Deere found itself under fire once again, this time by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who sent a letter to the company noting that company is violating The Clean Air Act by failing to inform users in tractor manuals of cheaper repair options. Now comes word that the FTC is investigating whether the company’s efforts to monopolize repair have violated the FTC Act:
“The investigation, authorized on Sept. 2, 2021, focuses on repair restrictions manufacturers place on hardware or software, often referred to by regulators as impeding customers’ “right to repair” the goods they purchase. The probe was made public through a filing by data analytics company Hargrove & Associates Inc, which sought to quash an FTC subpoena seeking market data submitted to it by members of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.”
If the FTC takes action, hopefully it’s more comprehensive than some of the earlier antitrust busting efforts during Lina Khan’s tenure.
In addition to intentionally acquiring repair alternatives to monopolize repair and drive up consumer costs, John Deere also routinely makes repair difficult and costly through the act of software locks, obnoxious DRM, and “parts pairing” — which involves only allowing the installation of company-certified replacement parts — or mandatory collections of company-blessed components.
More recently, the company has been striking meaningless “memorandums of understanding” with key trade groups, pinky swearing to stop their bad behavior if the groups agree to not support state or federal right to repair legislation.
Last March, Oregon became the seventh U.S. state to pass “right to repair” legislation making it easier, cheaper, and more convenient to repair technology you own. The bill’s passage came on the heels of legislation passed in Massachusetts (in 2012 and 2020), Colorado (in 2022 and 2023), New York (2023), Minnesota, Maine and California. All told, 30 states are considering such bills in 2024.
While the new laws are promising progress for right to repair activism, in most instances companies in those states are just ignoring the laws with no repercussions so far.
Filed Under: consumers, drm, ftc, hardware, independent repair, parts pairing, right to repair, tractors
Companies: john deere
Comments on “FTC Investigating John Deere Over ‘Right To Repair’ Violations”
Farmers advised to write Dear John letters to John Deere.
Don’t buy a John Deere if you don’t like how they lock-down their products and make it impossible for you to repair them outside of their network of authorized technicians.
Sheesh.
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I feel like the competition is pretty low, but besides that, you are talking about equipment that farmers 1. rely on to make income and 2. own and operate for years or decades. So even if they could just drop the cash to buy a competing brand it’s a giant loss for them. So realistically they are stuck with what they have for years even if they hate it.
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So, I’m a bit stuck personally.
In one hand, I’m a strong advocate of the right to repair, have ownership of your own data, and the removal of proprietary interfaces for products. So I completely support the right to repair.
On the other hand, the target market of John Deere farming equipment is a group of ignorant, hypocritical, misogynistic, largely racist, completely discriminatory, welfare queen leeches who suckle on the teat of blue states while pissing on those same social systems that keep them afloat. So I super fucking hate them as well
Re: Re: Re: FOR anyone that didnt know
CORPS bought the Farms years ago 1970-80’s.
Its a story on how Capitalism and Banks work.
Understand something about those WATCHING THE FARMS…They will do as the CORPS SAY.
MOST REAL farmers are fair Honest people. But as has been Noted, when your Life depends on the CORPS? What do you do?
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{{Citation needed}}
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You know that’s not an argument, not clever, right?
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I love you too!
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Or we could just pass laws and make policies that prevent large, entrenched corporations that have benefited from their campaign donations that subvert democracy and the equal representation of citizens from continuing to abuse their positions as industry leaders to the detriment of their customers.
If you want to live under anarcho-capitalism, go live in Somalia.
Farmers voting Republican have to be the single dumbest population in the US.
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No, I think Mexicans for Trump have that locked up.
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Damn. It’s so obvious when you write it out like that.
But it’s a close
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Second
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I mean, behind those dumb motherfuckers in Florida.
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Gay Mexicans for Trump