Deere's Right to Repair Settlement

From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. John Deere has agreed to a $99 million settlement in a class action lawsuit regarding its right-to-repair policies, which allegedly restricted farmers' access to necessary diagnostic tools and software for equipment repairs.

Austin Peiffer, an attorney with Ag & Business Legal Strategies, says this agreement now gives farmers options …

PEIFFER … “The settlement includes 10 years of access to certain John Deere tools and technologies that were previously restricted, and so the hope is that will allow farmers and independent repair shops to repair these John Deere tractors and combines and other equipment effectively and bring competition into the market.”

Peiffer notes this class action was brought about under antitrust law …

PEIFFER … “The theory is that by restricting these repair tools, John Deere has been able to charge more than it would have in a competitive market. It's been monopolizing these tools and charging monopoly rents, and just like in the board game, when you have a monopoly, you charge more and you make more money, so that's the theory here.”

Peiffer acknowledges the right to actually repair your own equipment is the headline but adds there is the monetary element as well.

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