AGCO’s Precision Planting Hit by Patent Suit on Seed-Drill Tech

Seed-drill products sold by AGCO Corp.’s Precision Planting LLC unit are targets of a federal lawsuit by Italy-based Maschio Gaspardo SpA alleging infringement of a patent covering a seed-distribution element for precision seed drills.

Maschio’s complaint, filed Monday in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, targets Precision’s vSet, vSet Select, vSet-2, vDrive, and any similar products.

The patent was issued in July 2014 and expires in November 2031, Bloomberg Law estimates. Maschio says it first told Precision of the patent and its alleged infringement in October 2014. It also alleges Precision has intentionally induced its partners, ...