Illinois AG Raoul files a lawsuit against Deere & Company over alleged restrictive repair practices for farm equipment.

The Federal Trade Commission, along with the Illinois and Minnesota attorneys general, on Wednesday sued agricultural equipment manufacturer Deere & Company over its practice of providing a software tool to diagnose and repair problems

Deere & Co. unfairly forces farmers to visit authorized dealers to repair their equipment, resulting in higher prices than if they could fix it themselves or get help from independent shops, the Federal Trade Commission claims in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday with the attorneys general of Illinois and Minnesota.

MINNESOTA, USA — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued agricultural manufacturer John Deere Wednesday, alleging it has used unfair practices to drive up equipment repair costs for farmers.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a lawsuit along with the states of Minnesota and Illinois against Deere & Co. for allegedly violating U.S. competition laws by restricting access to key repair information and diagnostic tools.

The only software that enables repairs of all Deere equipment is produced by the company, which it only makes available to its dealer network, the FTC said in its statement. As a result, Deere has maintained a 100% market share, allowing it to hike prices, it added.

The lawsuit argues the manufacturer's use of "unfair practices has driven up equipment repair costs for farmers" and deprived farmers the ability to make timely repairs on critical farming critical.

: John Deere on Wednesday responded to a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleging that John Deere withheld self-repair capabilities from farmers and independent repair

Illegal repair restrictions can be devastating for farmers, who rely on affordable and timely repairs to harvest their crops and earn their income,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said

The Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit against agricultural equipment giant Deere & Company, alleging it holds a monopoly on repair services.

The tractor giant is accused of holding a monopoly over its repair services, forcing customers to pay more at dealerships to fix equipment.