Executive TL;DR:

• John Deere settles with the FTC to give owners the right to repair equipment
• The company will pay $1 million to five states for antitrust enforcement costs
• Deere will be subject to strict compliance oversight for the next 10 years

The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical

Introduction to the Settlement

The recent settlement between John Deere and the FTC has sparked a lot of discussion. As one user said:

Shout out to Louis Rossmann for doing a ton of work on Right to repair. He started a website called Consumer Rights Wiki to document anti-consumer practices.

Reactions to the Settlement

Many people think the fine is too small. One user said:

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. $1 million fine for probably $10 billion in profit.

Others believe the right to repair is a basic freedom. As another user stated:

Right to repair isn’t some kind of little negotiated contract fiddling. A company can’t agree to a 5-year right to repair. Right to repair is a normal freedom, like speech, like using everyday objects you buy or make, generally walking around, meeting people, etc.

Some users also pointed out the hypocrisy of some companies. One user said:

There’s a cognitive dissonance on this site where everyone claims to hate this attempt at regulatory capture, yet they would do it too if it was their tech company and call it a moat, and many are actively working towards that.

Focus Keyword: Right to Repair