Texas Robotics Law

The Deere Repair Settlement and Robotics Contracts

Published

Settlement filed; court entry pending. Law checked through October 18, 2026.

Hesiod told the farmer of his day to build his own plow and keep a spare, because a broken share at planting time could cost the year. Twenty-seven centuries later, the share is a circuit board and the spare is a software license.

On July 8, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission and five states, Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, filed a joint motion in the Northern District of Illinois asking the court to enter a stipulated permanent injunction against Deere & Company. The suit, filed in January 2025, alleged that Deere restricted farmers and independent mechanics from the tools needed to repair its equipment; the court had denied Deere's motion for judgment on the pleadings in June 2025. As reported, the proposed order would require Deere for ten years to offer farmers and independent repair providers, on fair and reasonable terms, the repair resources it gives its authorized dealers. Those resources include software to read and clear fault codes, reprogram components and pair new electronic parts, restart a machine after an emissions-related shutdown, and search manuals and diagnostic guidance, plus future resources once they reach a majority of Deere's dealers.

Agricultural robots, autonomous tractors, and robot-as-a-service fleets raise the same question: who may diagnose and fix the machine once it is sold or leased. Contracts for robots in Texas should state what diagnostic software, parts pairing, and firmware access the buyer receives, for how long, and what happens if the vendor stops supporting the platform.

Limits

The FTC's case page still lists the matter as pending. A stipulated order binds only after the court enters it, and it binds only Deere. The complaint's allegations remain allegations.

Sources

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