Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. v. Dole Food Co.

136 F. Supp. 2d 1271 (2001)

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Del Monte Fresh Produce Co. v. Dole Food Co.

United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
136 F. Supp. 2d 1271 (2001)

RW

Facts

Del Monte Fresh Produce Company (Del Monte) (plaintiff) sued its rival, Dole Food Company, Inc. (Dole) (defendant), for misappropriating Del Monte’s trade secrets in violation of Florida’s version of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA). Del Monte alleged that it had spent years developing a so-called MD-2 variety of pineapple that proved to be very popular with American consumers. Del Monte further alleged that Dole illicitly obtained MD-2 samples from Del Monte’s Costa Rican pineapple plantation and used those samples to develop a similar, competing variety of pineapple. Dole moved to dismiss the suit for failure to state a claim on the grounds that a pineapple cannot be protected as a trade secret. The federal district court noted that, in a case decided under Iowa’s version of the UTSA, the Eighth Circuit ruled that genetic material from commercially developed, cultivated corn was a protected trade secret even though seeds from that cultivar were readily available on the open market. The district court rejected, as unsupported by law or logic, Dole’s attempt to distinguish the Eighth Circuit case on the grounds that corn reproduces sexually whereas pineapple reproduces asexually.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Gold, J.)

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