Cairo, Egypt – Three separate Egyptian courts have issued injunctions against four Egyptian growers and ordered court-appointed experts to collect samples and other evidence from the infringing farms where the experts found unauthorized Sugrathirteen variety grapevines. The three economic courts, located in Cairo, Alexandria and Tanta, affirmed the Egyptian plant variety rights (PVR) of the important American-bred black seedless grape variety, which is produced by several Egyptian growers without a license to do so.
The Sugrathirteen table grape variety is owned by Sun World International, LLC. (Sun World), a global fruit genetics, licensing and technology company whose fruit is marketed globally under the MIDNIGHT BEAUTY® brand and other popular fruit brands. The California-based company has a long-standing business developing and licensing its proprietary plant varieties to growers worldwide, including to Egyptian farmers, who earn a premium for growing Sun World’s superior varieties.
Despite Sun World’s PVR registrations in Egypt, some unauthorized farmers have been found growing Sun World’s varieties, thus breaking Egyptian PVR and criminal laws, and damaging the Egyptian table grape export market for authorized growers. According to Sun World’s Vice President of IP and General Counsel, Michael Stimson, “the company will enforce the full extent of its rights against these infringers, seeking to stop illegal production and damages for past infringement.”
Sun World encourages growers in Egypt who are interested in planting the Sugrathirteen black seedless table grapes variety, marketed under the MIDNIGHT BEAUTY® brand, sometimes illegally sold as BLACK MAGIC, to obtain a license to plant and propagate Sugrathirteen vines and to sell fruit under its authorized MIDNIGHT BEAUTY® brand. Licensed growers avoid criminal legal actions and civil liability and are welcome members of the community of grape producers who respect Egyptian law.
To contact the Company, email Michael Stimson: mstimson@sun-world.com.
Sun World is a global variety development and licensing business whose mission is to drive the growth of fruit breeding, varietal development, and licensing. The California-based company has a network of licensed growers and marketers and maintains offices in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America, Israel, North Africa, and South Africa. More information about Sun World is available at www.sun-world.com.
