The company filed the patent infringement lawsuits against Kinze Manufacturing and Ag Leader in U.S. District Court on Dec. 4, alleging that their new devices are too similar to a product Deere introduced seven years ago.

Deere asked a judge to issue an injunction, potentially blocking Ag Leader and Kinze from selling their high-speed planters.

Kinze and Ag Leader said in a joint statement after the lawsuit was filed that they “deny all allegations of infringement.”

“These type of disputes are not uncommon,” the statement added. “This legal action has absolutely no effect on the availability of current Kinze and Ag Leader products.”

Kinze and Ag Leader announced at the beginning of last year that they had collaborated on a new high-speed planter system, a piece of equipment that farmers can add to their standard planters to allow them to push their machines across fields at 12 mph. Farmers typically restrict planters’ speeds to 5 mph, as seeds dropped from the machines are more likely to bounce or roll when they hit the ground at higher speeds.

Ag Leader began selling its new system, SureSpeed, in July. Kinze Manufacturing, meanwhile, is taking orders on its product, True Speed, and plans to roll it out this year.

In the lawsuit, attorneys for Deere argue that the competitors’ new systems rely on mechanics too similar to Deere’s patented ExactEmerge row units, which the company debuted in 2014. Deere says its product allows farmers to push their planters to 10 mph.

Kent Shannon, an agricultural engineering field specialist with University of Missouri Extension, said he does not know of any company that rolled out similar technology before Deere.

Shannon said the Ag Leader-Kinze product is not identical to Deere’s but it relies on a similar system to discharge the seeds. He said he is not sure whether the system is different enough from Deere’s to be safe from patent protection.

“There could be enough similarities (for Deere to win), if you just look at the overall concept,” he said.

Source: Des Moines Register

With this settlement, AgJunction and Kubota reached a mutually agreeable business resolution that resulted in the dismissal of the lawsuit and all counterclaims. Under the terms of the settlement, AgJunction has granted Kubota a non-exclusive license in the U.S. and Canada to its extensive patent portfolio in exchange for undisclosed royalty payments from Kubota.

The parties also signed a memorandum of understanding to begin discussions about one or more definitive agreements relating to the development and/or supply by AgJunction of autosteer and autonomous solutions for Kubota’s products around the world. Specific terms of the settlement are confidential and have not been disclosed.

“We are very pleased to have been able to settle this matter, allowing AgJunction and Kubota to move forward with serious commercial discussions,” said Bob Barjesteh, executive vice president and general counsel of AgJunction. “Licensing our portfolio to Kubota further validates the strength of our industry-leading patents, allowing us to continue providing unmatched protection to our partners and customers.”

Source: Globe Newswire