Updated Nov. 16, 2023, 11:52 am:
In a statement to Farm Equipment, Kinze said the following regarding the verdict:
While Kinze cannot comment on ongoing litigation, we can say that on Oct. 30, 2023, a jury in the Southern District of Iowa issued a verdict finding that the True Speed and SureSpeed systems infringe certain Deere & Co. patents. Kinze and Ag Leader strongly disagree with the verdict and intend to pursue their rights to challenge the jury’s verdict.
An Iowa jury returned a verdict on Oct. 30 that found Kinze and Ag Leader had infringed on several John Deere patents regarding True Speed/SureSpeed technology. The jury sided with Deere on 4 claims of patent infringement but found that Deere did not prove the infringements were willful.
The jury also found that Kinze and Ag Leader, in their countersuit, did not prove any of Deere's asserted claims were invalid.
The jury determined John Deere was entitled to recover $2,107,000 in lost profits due to sales of True Speed Planters. The jury also determined Deere is entitled to $14,220,900 in royalty compensation for the infringement.
John Deere first filed the patent infringement lawsuit against Kinze and Ag Leader in late 2020. Kinze and Ag Leader released a statement at the time denying all allegations.
Kinze and Ag Leader would go on to file a countersuit in March 2021 seeking to invalidate the John Deere patents cited in the initial 2020 lawsuit and enjoin John Deere’s “unlawful anticompetitive campaign.”
