Deere settles US right-to-repair suit with $99 million fund and 10-year tool access
Farm operators who paid dealers gain fund claims and 10 years' access to repair software
Change
Deere agreed to place $99 million into a settlement fund for eligible farmers and to provide digital maintenance and diagnostic tools for large agricultural equipment for 10 years, covering repairs paid to Deere authorised dealers since January 2018.
Why it matters
The settlement constrains Deere's ability to keep repair software and diagnostic tools dealer-exclusive by committing to make those digital tools available to farmers for a decade. The accord also creates a fund to reimburse eligible repair payments, but the agreement requires a federal judge's approval and does not resolve a separate Federal Trade Commission enforcement lawsuit still proceeding in court.
Implications
- — Farm operators who paid Deere authorised dealers for repairs since January 2018 — must file claims under the settlement once a US federal judge approves it — otherwise they will forfeit eligibility for distributions from the $99 million fund.
- — Farm maintenance teams and independent agricultural repair shops that service large Deere equipment — must obtain access to Deere's newly available digital maintenance and diagnostic tools immediately after Deere releases them — otherwise they will remain dependent on authorised dealers for tool-restricted repairs, prolonging downtime and service delays for customers.
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