In March, Italian courts ruled in favor of Sun World International LLC in four recent lawsuits against unlicensed growers who unlawfully produced and sold Sun World grape varieties.
Now, Bakersfield, Calif.-based Sun World says that Italian courts haved ruled in favor of the company in litigation filed by the growers attempting to circumvent the contractual obligations stemming from agreements with the company for the growing, harvesting and sale of Sun World table grapes.
Sun World said the growers sought the right to market Autumncrisp grapes outside its licensed distributors’ network based on an Italian Supreme Court ruling.
Sun World said despite the ruling, the Court of Bari, which specializes in intellectual property, dismissed the lawsuit by the growers and reaffirmed contractual obligations to use Sun World licensed distributors network. The court also ordered the growers to pay Sun World’s court costs, attorney fees and damages, according to the release.
