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DEERE & COMPANY RESPONDS TO COMPLAINT FROM THE U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Source: John Deere news release

MOLINE, Illinois - John Deere today provided the following response to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that John Deere withheld self-repair capabilities from farmers and independent repair providers in violation of competition laws.

This lawsuit, filed on the eve of a change in Administration, ignores the Company's long-standing commitment to customer self-repair and the consistent progress and innovation we have made over time, including the launch of Equipment Mobile in 2023 and the previously announced launch of new capabilities for John Deere Operations Center later this year. The complaint is based on flagrant misrepresentations of the facts and fatally flawed legal theories, and it punishes innovation and procompetitive product design. John Deere will vigorously defend itself against this baseless lawsuit.

As FTC Commissioner Andrew Ferguson (soon to be the FTC's Chairman) explained in his dissenting statement, the lawsuit "appears to be the result of brazen partisanship," "lends to the suit the stench of partisan motivation," and appears "taken in haste to beat President Trump into office." Commissioner Ferguson went on to state that "we simply do not have the evidence to file this Complaint with any real confidence of our ultimate chance of success." Commissioner Melissa Holyoak joined in Commissioner Ferguson's dissenting statement, both of whom voted against the filing of the complaint.

"It is extremely disappointing that three Commissioners of the FTC chose to file a meritless lawsuit on the eve of the transition to a new Administration," said Denver Caldwell, Vice President of Aftermarket and Customer Support. "Our recent discussions with the Commission have revealed that the agency still lacked basic information about the industry and John Deere's business practices and confirmed that the agency was instead relying on inaccurate information and assumptions." As Commissioner Ferguson recognized, "the Commission should not expend taxpayer resources on lawsuits on the basis of an evidentiary record as underdeveloped as this one." In fact, as recently as last week, John Deere was still receiving questions from the agency.

Consistent with Deere's announced plans for the launch of additional self-repair capabilities (as explained below), and at Commission Staff's invitation to enter settlement discussions, the parties were engaged in active negotiations over a potential resolution to the investigation when the FTC filed the lawsuit.

As our equipment has become more technologically advanced, Deere has introduced a number of new innovations, tools, and resources to equip customers and independent repair technicians with the maintenance and repair needs of our equipment.

Deere remains fully committed to ensuring that customers have the highest quality equipment, reliable customer service and that they, along with independent repair technicians, have access to tools and resources that can help diagnose, maintain and repair our customers' machines. Deere's commitment to these ideals will not waiver even as it fights against the FTC's meritless claims.

Agri Marketing reports:

In an early announcement this week, Deere announced several changes to its service agreement with providers. To read the announcement click here.


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