The case of the 45 million dollar petunia dispute
Take the case of the Candy Bouquet, a pretty, magenta-and-yellow flower that resembles a petunia. It was developed by a German grower, Westhoff Vertriebsgesellschaft, that says it was on the verge of selling the variety to Home Depot when a rival swooped in, copied the plant and spread lies about Westhoff in order to win the business of the world's largest home-improvement chain.
The allegations are contained in a May 4 lawsuit that both reveals the dark side of the garden supply industry and the growing importance of big retailers like Home Depot, Lowe's and Wal-Mart Stores to growers.
The dispute is over the calibrachoa plant, more commonly known as Million Bells or "Little Petunia" due to its resemblance to the better-known annual. The fast-growing flowers are gaining popularity, almost matching geraniums. Calibrachoa sales in the United States were $44.6 million in 2014, compared with $263 million for petunias, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture figures.
Westhoff said it introduced Candy Bouquet at the Home Depot Spring Trials in February 2014 and a representative of the chain said the company wanted to be its exclusive seller.
That was before Proven Winners North America, a major distributor that sells other flowers through Home Depot, had "stolen the genetic material and attempted to discredit Westhoff in the marketplace and confuse the consuming public," Westhoff said in the complaint.
Read more at the Chicago Tribune