19 Jan 2025

FTC, Illinois & Minnesota Sue John Deere for Unfair Trade Practices

by Bonnie | | 0

The Federal Trade Commission and the states Illinois and Minnesota sued Deere & Company, an agricultural equipment manufacturer which dominates market share for large farm equipment, citing unfair practices that have been detrimental to farmers.

The suit alleges that Deere has limited the ability of farmers and independent mechanics to repair equipment made by the company. Over a period of decades, this forced farmers to get repairs on critical equipment such as tractors done by Deere’s authorized dealers. It grew Deere’s profits for repairs and parts by forcing farmers to pay costs driven higher because they could not pursue independent repairs.

Among other remedies to stop Deere’s anticompetitive practices, the lawsuit seeks make full functionality of Deere’s proprietary Service ADVISOR repair tool and any other repair resources that are used by authorized dealers available to independent repair shops and to owners of Deere large equipment.

Click here for the FTC announcement.

Click here for more details.

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