This past week Deere & Company took legal action against Precision Planting and owner AGCO Corporation, claiming the companies infringed on 12 John Deere patents. These patents relate to the ExactEmerge platform.
“The lawsuit states that product made or sold by Precision Planting, including vSet seed meters along with SpeedTube products, infringe on Deere patents,” the company says. “Deere states in the court filing that it has no licensed or otherwise authorized use of its patents by Precision Planting or AGCO.”
Deere filed the complaint with the U.S. District Court in Delaware and said it has suffered damages and will continue to suffer damages if the infringement continues. The patents protect tools that give farmers accurate seed placement, uniform seed spacing and even crop emergence while planting at faster speeds.
“AGCO Corporation is aware of claims by Deere related to Precision Planting patents,” says Kelli Cook, public relations North America manager for AGCO in an emailed statement to AgWeb. “Any claim that alleges products made or sold by Precision Planting infringe on Deere patents are believed to be without merit and will be vigorously disputed. AGCO and Monsanto are jointly cooperating on the legal defense of these claims.”
This isn’t the first time Deere has sued Precision Planting and had even begun discussing related claims in 2017 when the company was owned by Monsanto, she adds.
John Deere had previously tried to buy Precision Planting, only to be blocked by the U.S. Department of Justice.
