Hovey Williams LLP, one of the region’s leading intellectual property (IP) law firms, announced that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a jury verdict in favor of its client Great Plains Manufacturing, Salina, KS, in a patent infringement suit brought by Deere & Co.

Hovey Williams partners Scott Brown, Michael Hurd, and Matthew Walters represented Great Plains in the original lawsuit, which was filed by Deere in 2009. After a 13-day trial held near Deere’s World Headquarters in Davenport, IA, the jury found that Great Plains rotary cutters did not infringe and that Deere’s rotary cutter patent was invalid. The appellate court upheld that verdict yesterday and awarded costs in favor of Great Plains.

Hovey Williams LLP, one of the region’s leading intellectual property (IP) law firms, announced that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a jury verdict in favor of its client Great Plains Manufacturing, Salina, KS, in a patent infringement suit brought by Deere & Co.

Hovey Williams partners Scott Brown, Michael Hurd, and Matthew Walters represented Great Plains in the original lawsuit, which was filed by Deere in 2009. After a 13-day trial held near Deere’s World Headquarters in Davenport, IA, the jury found that Great Plains rotary cutters did not infringe and that Deere’s rotary cutter patent was invalid. The appellate court upheld that verdict yesterday and awarded costs in favor of Great Plains.

“At the time, we were pleased that our client was vindicated and prevailed on both infringement and invalidity in front of a jury drawn from Deere’s backyard, and the appellate court has now confirmed the result,” said Scott Brown. “This verdict confirms that Great Plains’s independent developments did not infringe on any of Deere’s intellectual property rights,” he noted.

About Hovey Williams LLP: A world leader in intellectual property (IP) protection, Hovey Williams (HW) was founded in 1929 to protect clients’ patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other IP, in virtually every major technology sector and is headquartered in Overland Park, KS, a suburb of Kansas City. Learn more at www.HoveyWilliams.com.