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Senior Director, Campaign for the Right to Repair, PIRG
Director of Media Relations, The Public Interest Network
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Announcement comes after years of research, advocacy about barriers to farm equipment repair
WASHINGTON — Two and a half years after PIRG, along with farmers’ unions, farm advocacy groups and right to repair advocates, filed an official complaint against John Deere, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan announced the FTC is filing a lawsuit against the farm equipment company. According to the FTC, John Deere made “the only fully functional software repair tool capable of performing all repairs” and then limited that tool to dealerships. The Commission asserts Deere’s actions violate both Section 2 of the Sherman Act and Section 5 of the FTC Act.
Both the Illinois and Minnesota attorneys general joined the suit.
“Illegal repair restrictions can be devastating for farmers, who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops and earn their income,” Khan said in a press release. For more of the history of the campaign work by PIRG and others to stand up for farmers’ Right to Repair, see our detailed timeline.
In response, PIRG’s Senior Right to Repair Campaign Director Nathan Proctor made the following statement:
“Everyone, especially handy people including farmers, should be allowed to fix their own stuff. When farmers can’t access the proprietary software tools they need to diagnose or complete repairs, that means they have to wait for an authorized technician before they can finish their work. The weather doesn’t wait on a dealership’s schedule — a delay could mean the loss of a harvest. Not only might that bankrupt the farmer, it also raises food prices for everyone.
“We shouldn’t tolerate companies blocking repair. When you buy something, you should be able to do whatever you want with it. The FTC’s enforcement action will help farmers, and everyone else who believes people should be able to fix their stuff.”
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