Thursday,
May 03, 2007
Gallo Wine is Cock Sure about its Trademark
The
ANNOTICO Report
Gallo
of course means Rooster in Italian. It's no sin to use Rooster in your product
in the
Gallo
may seem petty or mean spirited, but the Law maintains if you do not vigorously
defend your Trademark, then you have presumed to have "waived" your
rights. So if someone can prove you have not been diligent, then they can
"steal" your name!!!
What
bothers me most, is whenever I hear about a very successful Italian
entrepreneur, I am unaware of any Foundation they have established to Further
the Knowledge of the Italian Heritage and
Culture, or the Defense thereof. Sad!!!!!
The
Importance of Being Ernest Gallo
Jennifer
Rosen
May
2, 2007
The
neon-green-and-pink striped socks I'm wearing are all the rage in
BUT,
You can't buy them here, though, because the
manufacturer's name is Gallo.
The
Gallo Wine Co. is serious about protecting its brand. Salsa, beer, rice, T-
shirts, poker chips and race horses have all been blocked from using the Gallo
name.
The
winery, so big it's often mistaken for an oil refinery from the air, offers no
tours or tastings. But the company makes or imports
one of each four bottles of wine Americans drink, along with exporting to 90
countries. Eighty million cases a year, or 2.64 million
bottles a day, roll off Gallo's lines. In 2005, sales of $980 million
netted a $44 million profit. When Ernest Gallo died last month at 97, he was
worth about $1.2 billion.
He
and his brother Julio, who died in 1993, came from a winemaking family that
profited during Prohibition by sending grapes back East for private winemaking.
But repeal left them in debt. One morning their father went into the kitchen
and shot and killed his wife and himself, leaving brothers Ernest, Julio and
Joseph orphans.
Ernest
and Julio borrowed money and started a winery. Julio made wine, while Ernest
took care of business. From the beginning, Ernest was driven. His goal: to be
"the
A
ruthless salesman, he aggressively underpriced the
competition. "We don't want most of the business," he once said.
"We want it all."
Their
first big success was in 1957: Thunderbird, a cheap, fortified wine and an
instant hit in the "misery market." Next came
the jug sensation Hearty Burgundy, which the Los Angeles Times called
"the best wine value in the country today."
It
was followed by Carlo Rossi, Bartles & Jaymes coolers and others. Gallo later moved into upscale
wines with its Gallo of Sonoma brand as well as competitors it bought.
Ernest
liked to control every step. By the mid-'60s, Gallo owned
glass factories for bottles, aluminum plants for caps and a trucking company
for distribution. The Federal Trade Commission stepped in, however, when the Gallos
strongly suggested that their wholesalers drop all non-Gallo brands.
Most of the time, though, generous political contributions to
both parties kept things smooth. A custom-tailored 1978
Gallo
has been a huge boon to the
But
it does guard that brand. The "Gallo Nero," or black rooster, has
been the symbol of
"I
understand that gallo means 'rooster' in
Italian," Gallo lawyers explained. "However, Italian is not the
official language in the
Perhaps
Gallo's finest litigation hour was in 1986, when it sued younger brother Joseph
for using the family name on a line of cheeses.
Joseph's
countersuit claimed he'd been deprived of his rightful third of the winery. His
claim was dismissed, and the brothers died estranged.
Perhaps
by now Ernest has discovered you can't take it with you.
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