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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a suit against John Deere, accusing it of unfair practices that force farmers to pay higher-than-average repair costs. The federal organization, along with attorneys general for Illinois and Minnesota, are alleging that the company engages in practices that keep farmers from being able to make repairs on equipment they own. In other words, this is another salvo in the ongoing right-to-repair battle. The complaint states that John Deere engages in dubious practices, like incorporating software into farm equipment, to dissuade people from trying to fix stuff on their own. Additionally, the suit points to decades of unlawful behavior that pushes farmers to the companys authorized network of dealers for repairs. FTC, states sue Deere & Company to protect farmers from unfair corporate tactics, high repair costs: https://t.co/sdho0iXf1u /1 FTC (@FTC) January 15, 2025 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 in a press release. The FTCs action today seeks to ensure that farmers across America are free to repair their own equipment or use repair shops of their choice. The suit goes on to allege that Deere makes the only fully functional software repair tool capable of performing all repairs on its equipment, which was only made available to official dealers. These dealers allegedly charge higher prices than independent shops, giving the company unlawful monopoly power. Farmers have long maintained that they can conduct basic repairs on equipment, but the computers lock the systems from working again until an officially licensed technician does their thing. This thing, allegedly, is simply flipping a software switch. The company says it supports customers right to repair equipment. It even signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) in 2023 that was supposed to make its software, tools and documentation available to farmers and independent repair shops. It doesnt look like that actually happened, as the suit alleges it continues to unlawfully withhold a fully functional repair tool from equipment owners. The lawsuit seeks to stop Deeres anticompetitive conduct by mandating access to its software repair tool, in addition to other repair resources available to authorized dealers. Nathan Proctor, PIRGs Right to Repair Campaign Director, said in a statement to Gizmodo that We shouldnt tolerate companies blocking repair. When you buy something, you should be able to do whatever you want with it.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/ftc-sues-john-deere-over-unfair-corporate-tactics-and-high-repair-costs-192052941.html?src=rss
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Sony is set to freshen up the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for Extra and Premium subscribers with a bunch of new additions in January. The obvious headliner here is God of War Ragnarök (PS4 and PS5), one of PlayStation's biggest blockbusters from the last few years. The epic 2022 adventure sees Kratos and his son Atreus attempting to prevent an event that could bring about the end of the world. Studio Santa Monica expanded on the core game in late 2023 with the free addition of a roguelite mode that acts as an epilogue. Kratos can wield permanent upgrades as well as temporary ones that only last for the duration of a given run. If you haven't done so already, we'd highly recommend playing through God of War before delving into Ragnarök. The story of the 2018 game feeds directly into that of the sequel (and it's a darn good game too). Thankfully, God of War is also in the Game Catalog. Another new addition that's well worth checking out is the brilliant rhythm action title Sayonara Wild Hearts (PS4). It tells the story of a young woman attempting to repair her broken heart through a series of imaginative levels, all set to an absolutely banging pop music soundtrack. Sayonara Wild Hearts was an Apple Arcade launch title, but it left that service a few months ago. It's one of my two favorite games of all time, and I can't recommend it enough. The highly regarded sci-fi RPG Citizen Sleeper is in the mix as well. It'll hit the Game Catalog a week and a half before the sequel, Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, drops on January 31. Other newcomers to the Extra tier include the 2023 Like A Dragon spinoff, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (PS4 and PS5), action RPGs Atlas Fallen: Reign Of Sand (PS5) and SD Gundam Battle Alliance (PS4 and PS5), action-adventure title ANNO: Mutationem (PS4 and PS5), tower defense game Orcs Must Die! 3 (PS4 and PS5) and Poker Club (PS4). Premium subscribers will get access to another two games on top of all of those. Those are Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (PS4 and PS5), which debuted on PS2 in 2009, and Medievil II (PS4 and PS5), which originally hit the PS1 in 2000. These games will hit the PS Plus Game Catalog on January 21. As a reminder, PlayStation Portal owners can now stream certain PS5 games in the catalog from the cloud.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/god-of-war-ragnarok-headlines-the-playstation-plus-game-catalog-additions-for-january-191024729.html?src=rss
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Google is partnering with The Associated Press to bring real-time information from the news agency to its Gemini app, the search giant announced on Wednesday. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The deal builds on an existing partnership Google had with The Associated Press to source real-time information for its search engine. This will be particularly helpful to [Gemini app] users looking for up-to-date information, Google says of the deal. AP and Googles longstanding relationship is based on working together to provide timely, accurate news and information to global audiences, said Kristin Heitmann, The Associated Press senior vice president and chief revenue officer. We are pleased Google recognizes the value of AP's journalism as well as our commitment to nonpartisan reporting, in the development of its generative AI products. The Associated Press joins a long list of news publishers that have partnered with either Google or OpenAI to supply them with data for model training and consumer-facing features in exchange for money and other considerations. Just earlier today, Axios announced a three-year deal with OpenAI that will see the AI startup fund four new local newsrooms. Last year, OpenAI partnered with People publisher Dotdash Meredith, a deal that was later revealed to be worth at least $16 million annually.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-brings-real-time-information-from-the-associated-press-to-gemini-190317150.html?src=rss
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