根据联邦贸易委员会(FTC)的和解协议,约翰迪尔(John Deere)设备的所有者将获得维修权。
John Deere owners will get the right to repair equipment under FTC settlement

原始链接: https://apnews.com/article/john-deere-right-to-repair-agriculture-equipment-cb7514ffedb95c130a976af661f2bc02

美国联邦贸易委员会与五个州已就反垄断问题与约翰迪尔(John Deere)公司达成和解。根据协议,该公司必须向农民及独立维修店提供维修其设备所需的软件和诊断工具。 多年来,约翰迪尔因垄断维修服务而饱受批评。该公司此前拒绝提供关键软件,迫使客户只能依赖授权经销商进行维修。这是该公司今年达成的第二份和解协议,要求其向独立维修店和设备所有者提供维修资源,并禁止经销商针对选择非授权服务的客户进行报复。 根据该协议条款(尚待司法批准),约翰迪尔将支付100万美元的执法成本,并接受为期十年的合规监管。尽管约翰迪尔此前曾辩称其做法符合竞争原则,但该公司现在声称,该协议符合其提供更灵活维修选择的承诺。这一裁决是“维修权”运动的一项重大进展,该运动旨在减少企业对农业机械和消费电子产品售后维护及服务的管控。

美国联邦贸易委员会(FTC)近期达成的一项和解协议要求约翰迪尔(John Deere)公司向设备所有者及独立维修店提供维修其机械所需的诊断工具和信息。尽管此举被视为“维修权”运动的胜利,但 Hacker News 上的讨论却充满了质疑与争论。 批评者认为,相对于该公司庞大的利润,100 万美元的和解金微不足道,并指出这可能无法真正遏制其反竞争行为。另一些人则指出,现代机械的复杂性(特别是排放法规)使问题变得复杂;部分用户认为,限制访问在一定程度上是为了防止对排放系统进行非法改装。 讨论还涉及了更广泛的主题,包括工业设备和消费技术对维修权的必要性、此类和解协议中的政治考量,以及对基本财产权竟需通过诉讼来保障的无奈。最终,虽然参与者对这一举措表示欢迎,但许多人怀疑它能否确立重要的法律先例或从根本上改变行业惯例,而将其视为在一场针对企业产品控制权的长期抗争中迈出的一小步。
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原文

It looks like John Deere owners can soon feel free to fix their own machines.

The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from several states secured a right-to-repair settlement Wednesday with agriculture equipment giant Deere & Co. — commonly known as John Deere — that requires the company to let farmers and independent shops fix their own equipment.

The Illinois-based manufacturer has faced complaints for years for withholding the software needed for repairs and forcing customers to use authorized dealers instead of independent ones.

This marks the second right-to-repair settlement Deere has reached this year, following a separate $99 million class-action settlement with farmers in April. Though the class-action compensated consumers, the FTC’s settlement instead requires Deere to make its repair services available to equipment owners and independent shops.

The FTC and attorneys general from Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin brought the antitrust lawsuit in January 2025, arguing that Deere had illegally restricted farmers and independent shops that might otherwise service them from repairing farm equipment such as tractors. Deere also makes engines and equipment for forestry, landscaping and construction.

Under the order filed in Illinois, Deere will now be required to make diagnostic and repair tools available to equipment owners and independent repair shops, not only its own network of authorized dealers. It also prevents Deere dealers from retaliating against equipment owners or repair shops who choose to fix their own equipment instead of paying for Deere’s services. The order is headed to Judge Iain D. Johnston for his approval.

“For too long, Arizona farmers and independent mechanics have been at the mercy of Deere’s monopoly over repair tools, forced to wait — and pay — for authorized dealers just to fix broken tractors and other equipment,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement Wednesday.

Deere must pay $1 million collectively to the five states for antitrust enforcement costs and will be subject to strict compliance oversight for the next 10 years.

In the complaint, the FTC argued that Deere provides a service software tool to authorized dealers but does not provide the full version to equipment owners or independent shops. Deere had said the lawsuit was baseless, denied that its distribution of service tools was anticompetitive and argued that it could not monopolize services since it does not directly provide them.

Deere maintained its commitment to independent repair in a statement Wednesday, adding that the agreement with the FTC reinforces its innovation of more flexible repair options.

“This is good news for our customers and for the future of how Deere equipment is supported,” said Denver Caldwell, vice president of aftermarket and customer support.

Right-to-repair has become an increasingly common issue over the years, especially for tech products, with consumers complaining that even simple repairs can only be done by company-authorized dealers.

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