E. & J. Gallo Winery knocks out Vineyard Investigations' patent infringement case on summary judgment
Client(s) E. & J. Gallo Winery
Jones Day successfully defended E. & J. Gallo Winery ("Gallo") in a three-patent dispute brought by Vineyard Investigations in the Eastern District of California. In 2019, Vineyard Investigations accused Gallo of infringing three of its patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 8,528,834; 6,947,810; and 10,645,881, relating to automated irrigation systems in vineyards. Since 2015, Gallo worked with several irrigation partners to develop variable irrigation systems to aid in more uniform production of grapes in its vineyards. Vineyard Investigations saw one of those systems, and claimed infringement. After years of fact and expert discovery, Gallo moved for summary judgment of non-infringement, demonstrating that it could not, as a matter of law, infringe Vineyard Investigations' patents. Gallo's motion for summary judgment also highlighted the tension between Vineyard Investigations' positions on infringement and the validity of its patents as patent-eligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. §101. The court invited Gallo to file a second summary judgment motion, and then proceeded to grant summary judgment in Gallo's favor on both bases --finding that Gallo did not infringe as a matter of law, and Vineyard Investigations' patents were invalid.
Vineyard Investigations v. E & J Gallo Winery, No. 1-19-cv-01482 (E.D. Cal.)
