Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL) Group communicates that it “has obtained an (ex parte) order against two growers to ascertain that they were producing its protected table grape varieties without a license in the area of Palagiano and Castellaneta in the province of Taranto, Italy.
After the execution of the order, SNFL has reached an agreement that provides, depending on the two different cases, for the recognition of the validity of the rights in the affected varieties and their violation, the removal of the infringing vines, the commitment not to violate the variety rights in the ownership / availability of SNFL Group, as well as the compensation for damages, legal fees and costs incurred.
SNFL Group continues its systematic effort to stop infringement of Intellectual Property Rights in the table grape industry worldwide, by detecting unauthorized propagation and/or illegal production of its licensed varieties, and pursuing any parties involved in the infringement of its proprietary rights.
Marcos Felici, SNFL Country Manager for Italy and Mediterranean countries explains: “We have developed a great relationship with our many licensed growers in Italy who continue to expand their plantings of SNFL table grape varieties. However, we still see too many cases of infringements of our Plant Breeders Rights, and we will continue take whatever legal action is necessary to prevent those illegal actions that damage our genuine licensed growers in the region.”
SNFL varieties are the result of years of investigation and development, and the company is constantly tracking growing regions, retailer stores, wholesalers in different countries to detect any abuse of its Intellectual Property rights.
