Anti-paywall link: https://www.wired.com/story/ftc-sues-john-deere-over-repairability/
Today the US Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against farming equipment manufacturer Deere & Company—makers of the iconic green John Deere tractors, harvesters, and mowers—citing its longtime reluctance to keep its customers from fixing their own machines.
“Farmers rely on their agricultural equipment to earn a living and feed their families,” FTC chair Lina Khan wrote in a statement alongside the full complaint. “Unfair repair restrictions can mean farmers face unnecessary delays during tight planting and harvest windows.”
The Trump Supreme Court has entered the chat.
There are several republican members who were once farmers so I hope this doesn’t get dropped.
I’m guessing Deere will just
bribelobby the new administration to make the fight reset.They’ll just ‘invest’ a few million dollars into the Trump shitcoin and magically the FTC will back down.
I imagine they’ll do all the legwork and put forth a tight case. Then none of it will matter and the whole thing will get tossed because reasons
I expect the new FTC chair will toss this when they get into office, but I guess we’ll have to see how things play out
probably. diaperking don’t care about the farmer vote, but the big companies can still cut checks.
What farming equipment does Europe use?
It feels like this won’t fly in the EU
John Deere, New Holland, Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Claas, Kubota
John Deer from talking with my German farming friend
Claas and Deutz would be the biggest ones ig
Why don’t farmers switch to them? I assume there are laws preventing it, it sounds like JD have a monopoly in the US else farmers would switch
Are you asking why American farmers who want to repair their own stuff don’t switch to European equipment?
All the parts would be in metric!
IIRC a mixture of inertia (“we’ve always used John Deere”) and some specialty equipment/attachments that only they make and would not necessarily work with other brands
At some point continuing to use a product that abuses you is just your own fault.
I hope a movement starts where they start switching, JD will conform very quickly if their sales tank.
