Gallo Winery Accused of Infringing Vineyard Irrigation Patents

E. & J. Gallo Winery’s automatic grapevine irrigation system infringes a vineyard consulting firm’s patents, according to a complaint filed in the Eastern District of California.

Vineyard Investigations says Gallo developed an irrigation system using its patented technology without a license after a VI presentation about the technology’s benefits.

VI is a consulting company that focuses on vineyard soil and grapevine health issues. It owns U.S. Patent Nos. 6,947,810 and 8,528,834, covering a system for automatically monitoring and managing the dispensing of water, pesticides, and fertilizers in vineyards.

VI says it contacted Gallo about licensing the patents, but Gallo “repeatedly ...