103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2669

 

Introduced 1/10/2024, by Sen. Jil Tracy

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Agricultural Equipment Repair Bill of Rights Act. Provides that, for the purpose of providing services for agricultural equipment in the State, an original equipment manufacturer shall, with fair and reasonable terms and costs, make available to an independent repair provider or owner of the manufacturer's equipment any documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools that are intended for use with the equipment or any part, including updates to documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools. Provides that, with respect to agricultural equipment that contains an electronic security lock or other security-related function, a manufacturer shall, with fair and reasonable terms and costs, make available to independent repair providers and owners any documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools needed to reset the lock or function when disabled in the course of providing services. Provides that the manufacturer may make the documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools available to independent repair providers and owners through appropriate secure release systems. Provides that these provisions do not apply to a part that is no longer available to the original equipment manufacturer or conduct that would require the manufacturer to divulge a trade secret. Provides that a manufacturer shall not refuse to make available to an independent repair provider or owner any documentation, part, embedded software, firmware, or tool necessary to provide services on grounds that the documentation, part, embedded software, firmware, or tool itself is a trade secret, except that information necessary to repair agricultural equipment may not be redacted. Provides exceptions. Defines terms.


LRB103 34219 RLC 64547 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2669LRB103 34219 RLC 64547 b

1    AN ACT concerning agriculture.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Agricultural Equipment Repair Bill of Rights Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
7    (1) "Agricultural equipment" includes:
8        (A) a tractor, trailer, combine, sprayer, tillage
9    implement, baler, and other equipment used to plant,
10    cultivate, or harvest agricultural products or to ranch;
11    and
12        (B) attachments to and repair parts for equipment
13    described in paragraph (A).
14    "Agricultural equipment" does not include:
15        (i) a self-propelled vehicle designed primarily for
16    the transportation of individuals or property on a street
17    or highway, including, but not limited to, a powersports
18    vehicle, an all terrain vehicle, or a side-by-side
19    vehicle; or
20        (ii) any aircraft used in an agricultural aircraft
21    operation, as defined in 14 CFR 137.3.
22    (1.1) Off-highway vehicle" means a motorcycle, dirt bike,
23three-wheeler, all-terrain vehicle, surplus military vehicle,

 

 

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1or dune buggy that is operated on public lands and trails.
2    (1.2) "Original equipment manufacturer" or "manufacturer"
3means a person doing business in this State and engaged in the
4business of selling, leasing, or otherwise supplying new
5equipment or parts manufactured by or on behalf of itself to
6any individual, business, or other entity.
7    (1.3) "Owner" means a person that owns equipment or an
8agent of the owner.
9    (1.4) "Part" means a new or used replacement part for
10equipment that a manufacturer offers for sale or otherwise
11makes available for the purpose of providing services.
12    (1.5) "Powersports vehicle" means any of the following:
13        (A) an off-highway vehicle;
14        (B) a personal watercraft; or
15        (C) a snowmobile.
16    (2) "Authorized repair provider" means a person that is
17unaffiliated with a manufacturer other than through an
18arrangement with the manufacturer, whether for a definite or
19an indefinite period, in which the manufacturer, for the
20purpose of offering to provide services to an equipment owner
21regarding the owner's equipment or a part, grants to the
22person:
23        (A) a license to use a trade name, service mark, or
24    other proprietary identifier; or
25        (B) an authorization under any other arrangement to
26    act on behalf of the manufacturer.

 

 

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1    "Authorized repair provider" includes a manufacturer that
2offers to provide services to an owner of the manufacturer's
3equipment regarding the owner's equipment or a part if the
4manufacturer does not have an arrangement with an unaffiliated
5person as provided in this paragraph (2).
6    (3) "Data" means information that, with the consent of an
7owner, is transmitted or compiled and that arises from the
8operation of an owner's agricultural equipment or its parts.
9    (4) "Documentation" means a manual; diagram, including a
10schematic diagram; reporting output; service code description;
11security code or password; or similar type of guidance or
12information, whether in an electronic or tangible format, that
13a manufacturer provides to an authorized repair provider to
14assist the authorized repair provider with services performed
15on the manufacturer's equipment or a part.
16    (5) "Embedded software for agricultural equipment" means
17any programmable instructions that concern agricultural
18equipment operation and that are provided on firmware
19delivered with or loaded to the agricultural equipment.
20    (6) "Embedded software for agricultural equipment"
21includes all relevant patches and fixes that the manufacturer
22makes, including, but not limited to, items described as
23"basic internal operating system", "internal operating
24system", "machine code", "assembly code", "root code", or
25"microcode".
26    (7) "Equipment" means agricultural equipment.

 

 

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1    (8) "Equipment dealer" means any person, partnership,
2corporation, association, or other form of business enterprise
3that is primarily engaged in the retail sale of agricultural
4equipment.
5    (9) "Fair and reasonable terms and costs", with respect to
6obtaining parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools from a
7manufacturer to provide services, means terms that are
8equivalent to the most favorable terms that the manufacturer
9offers to an authorized repair provider and costs that are no
10greater than the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Costs
11of agricultural equipment shall be calculated using net costs
12incurred, accounting for any discounts, rebates, or incentives
13offered. With respect to documentation, "fair and reasonable
14terms and costs" means that the manufacturer provides the
15documentation, including any relevant updates to the
16documentation, at no charge, except that the manufacturer may
17charge a fee for a printed copy of the documentation if the
18amount of the fee covers only the manufacturer's actual cost
19to prepare and send the printed copy of the documentation.
20With respect to tools that are software programs, "fair and
21reasonable terms and costs" means that the manufacturer
22provides the tools that are software programs:
23        (A) at no charge and without requiring authorization
24    or Internet access or otherwise imposing impediments to
25    access or use;
26        (B) in the course of effectuating the diagnosis,

 

 

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1    maintenance, or repair and enabling the full functionality
2    of the equipment or part; and
3        (C) in a manner that does not impair the efficient and
4    cost-effective performance of the equipment or part.
5    (10) "Firmware" means a software program or set of
6instructions programmed on equipment or a part to allow the
7equipment or part to communicate with itself or with other
8computer hardware.
9    (11) "Independent repair provider", except as otherwise
10provided in this paragraph (11), means a person in this State
11that is:
12        (A) either a manufacturer's authorized repair provider
13    or affiliated with a manufacturer's authorized repair
14    provider; and
15        (B) engaged in offering or providing services.
16    "Independent repair provider" includes:
17        (i) an authorized repair provider if the authorized
18    repair provider is offering or providing services for a
19    manufacturer other than a manufacturer with which the
20    authorized repair provider has an arrangement described in
21    subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2); and
22        (ii) a manufacturer with respect to offering or
23    providing services for another manufacturer's equipment or
24    part.
25    (12) "Tools" means any software program, hardware
26implement, or other apparatus used for diagnosis, maintenance,

 

 

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1or repair of equipment or parts, including software or any
2other mechanism that provides, programs, or pairs a new part;
3calibrates functionality; or performs any other function
4required to return the equipment or part to fully functional
5condition.
6    (13) "Trade secret" means the whole or any portion or
7phase of any scientific or technical information, design,
8process, procedure, formula, improvement, confidential
9business or financial information, listing of names,
10addresses, or telephone numbers, or other information relating
11to any business or profession which is secret and of value. To
12be a "trade secret", the owner thereof must have taken
13measures to prevent the secret from becoming available to
14persons other than those selected by the owner to have access
15thereto for limited purposes.
 
16    Section 10. Services for agricultural equipment;
17documentation.
18    (a)(1) Except as provided in subsection (b), for the
19purpose of providing services for equipment in this State, an
20original equipment manufacturer shall, with fair and
21reasonable terms and costs, make available to an independent
22repair provider or owner of the manufacturer's equipment any
23documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools
24that are intended for use with the equipment or any part,
25including updates to documentation, parts, embedded software,

 

 

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1firmware, or tools.
2    (2) With respect to equipment that contains an electronic
3security lock or other security-related function, a
4manufacturer shall, with fair and reasonable terms and costs,
5make available to independent repair providers and owners any
6documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools
7needed to reset the lock or function when disabled in the
8course of providing services. The manufacturer may make the
9documentation, parts, embedded software, firmware, or tools
10available to independent repair providers and owners through
11appropriate secure release systems.
12    (b) Subsection (a) does not apply to a part that is no
13longer available to the original equipment manufacturer or
14conduct that would require the manufacturer to divulge a trade
15secret. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (b)
16a manufacturer shall not refuse to make available to an
17independent repair provider or owner any documentation, part,
18embedded software, firmware, or tool necessary to provide
19services on grounds that the documentation, part, embedded
20software, firmware, or tool itself is a trade secret.
21    (c) A manufacturer may redact documentation to remove
22trade secrets from the documentation before providing access
23to the documentation if the usability of the redacted
24documentation for the purpose of providing services is not
25diminished, except that information necessary to repair
26agricultural equipment may not be redacted.

 

 

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1    (d) A manufacturer may withhold information regarding a
2component of, design of, functionality of, or process of
3developing a part, embedded software, firmware, or a tool if
4the information is a trade secret and the usability of the
5part, embedded software, firmware, or tool for the purpose of
6providing services is not diminished.
7    (e) An original equipment manufacturer is not liable for
8faulty or otherwise improper repairs provided by independent
9repair providers or owners, including faulty or otherwise
10improper repairs that cause any indirect, incidental, special,
11or consequential damages.
 
12    Section 15. Exceptions.
13    (a) Subject to subsection (b), nothing in this Act:
14        (1) alters the terms of any contract or other
15    arrangement in force between an original equipment
16    manufacturer and an authorized repair provider, including
17    the performance or provision of warranty or recall repair
18    work and any exclusivity or noncompete clause in a
19    contract;
20        (2) authorizes an independent repair provider or owner
21    to:
22            (A) make any modification to agricultural
23        equipment that deactivates a safety notification
24        system, except as necessary to provide services;
25            (B) access any function of a tool that enables the

 

 

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1        independent repair provider or owner to change the
2        settings for a piece of agricultural equipment in a
3        manner that brings the equipment out of compliance
4        with any applicable federal, State, or local safety or
5        emissions law, except as necessary to provide
6        services;
7            (C) evade emissions, copyright, trademark, or
8        patent laws; or
9            (D) engage in any other illegal equipment
10        modification activities;
11        (3) requires a manufacturer to provide an independent
12    repair provider or owner access to information, other than
13    documentation, that the manufacturer provides to an
14    authorized repair provider pursuant to a contract or other
15    arrangement with the authorized repair provider except as
16    necessary to comply with subsection (a) of Section 10; or
17        (4) exempts a manufacturer from a products liability
18    claim that is otherwise authorized by law.
19    (b) With respect to a contract or other arrangement, or
20renewal of a contract or existing arrangement, that an
21original equipment manufacturer enters into on or after the
22effective date of this Act, any contract term, provision,
23agreement, or language in the contract or arrangement that
24waives, avoids, restricts, or limits the manufacturer's
25obligations under this Act is void and unenforceable.
26    (c) If an agricultural equipment manufacturer enters into,

 

 

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1or is covered under, a nationwide memorandum of understanding
2regarding a right to repair agricultural equipment, the
3memorandum of understanding governs an owner's right to
4provide services, or to engage the services of an independent
5repair provider, for that manufacturer's brand of agricultural
6equipment. If compliance with the memorandum of understanding
7would deny the owner any rights afforded to the owner in this
8Act, including any rights to documentation, data, tools, or
9embedded software for agricultural equipment necessary for the
10diagnosis, maintenance, or repair of the owner's agricultural
11equipment, the owner is entitled to the documentation, data,
12tools, or embedded software for agricultural equipment in
13accordance with this Act. An agricultural equipment
14manufacturer that enters into a memorandum of understanding
15shall meet the requirements established in this Act.