Deere & Company, commonly known as John Deere, is a well-known American corporation that manufactures agricultural, construction, and forestry machinery. The company was founded in 1837 by John Deere in Grand Detour, Illinois. John Deere is particularly renowned for its tractors and agricultural equipment. John Deere's brand is iconic and is associated with the quality and reliability of its agricultural and construction equipment. The distinctive green and yellow color scheme of John Deere machinery is well-known in the farming and construction industries. The logo of the company featuring a leaping deer had been in use since 1873 and officially registered in 1876.
Deere & Company has been involved in various trademark disputes over the years. In 2009, John Deere filed a lawsuit against AGCO Corporation, a manufacturer of agricultural equipment, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition. The dispute involved AGCO's use of green and yellow colors on its agricultural equipment, which John Deere claimed was confusingly similar to its own iconic color scheme. The case was settled in 2011, with AGCO agreeing to make changes to the color scheme of its Challenger tractors. In 2017, John Deere filed a lawsuit against FIMCO Inc., a manufacturer of agricultural and turf equipment. The dispute centered around the use of green and yellow colors on FIMCO's agricultural sprayers. John Deere argued that FIMCO's use of these colors created confusion in the marketplace, as the combination is closely associated with John Deere's brand. The case was settled in 2018, with FIMCO agreeing to stop using the green and yellow color scheme on its sprayers.