The commercial company Sando Clementine, which owns the rights of the Sando variety, has denounced 200 citrus growers, 95% of them based in Castellón, for the non-payment of the variety's royalties. A total of 1 million Euro is owed; an average of 5,000 Euro per grower.
The conflict goes back years. The head of Alcanar Verd Cítrics i Vivers SL, Miguel Matamoros, already warned in 2015 of the existence of growers who were cultivating this citrus variety "without proper license" and that even "cooperatives and stores have marketed the Sando with another labeling, which is illegal," said Matamoros.
Early last summer, Alcanar Verd Cítrics i Vivers S.L. offered the rights over the Sando variety to the Sando Clementine company, whose officials have decided to start filing lawsuits against 200 Sando producers who have not paid the corresponding royalties, according to the company's lawyers.
There has always been willingness to negotiate until the situation has reached the courts. "In 2016, the breeder of the variety reached an agreement through a private contract with more than 200 Sando producers to facilitate fractional payment while he, for his part, expressed his commitment to buy the variety's entire production for four seasons at a price of 0.60 Euro per kilo, VAT not included."
The shock came when the debtor hindered the payment, hence why the lawsuits allude to bad faith. Furthermore, the lawyers say that the non-payment of the corresponding royalties also entails a competitive disadvantage for the producers who did pay the licenses.
Lastly, the lawyers who are defending the interests of the commercial society that owns the Sando recalled that "there are precedents of similar cases, and the courts have always ruled in favor of those who are entitled to the payment of royalties.
Source: elmundo.es
