ANTITRUST NEWS: FTC, states reach deal with Deere over right to repai…

FTC and five US states have secured a settlement with John Deere requiring the company to provide farmers and independent repair shops with the same diagnostic tools and repair resources as authorised dealers for ten years. The deal resolves antitrust allegations that Deere illegally restricted access to proprietary Service ADVISOR software, forcing farmers into expensive authorised dealer repairs. If you build diagnostic software, telematics, or repair tools for farm equipment, your market just opened. Deere must now license its Service ADVISOR equivalent to independents at fair terms - you're the supplier they'll need to buy from to comply.