Nadorcott Protection (NCP) has taken legal action against Asda over claims the supermarket has sold Tang Gold mandarins from its protected variety without authorisation.

The company, which is dedicated to safeguarding the intellectual property rights of the Nadorcott mandarin variety, said it would “continue to defend its exclusive rights”, as it accused Asda of infringing on them by stocking Tang Gold mandarins.

The case, which was registered with the Patents Court in January, saw NCP claim that the key features of Tang Gold mandarins were a direct outcome of the protected Nadorcott strain, making it “materially identical” and in violation of its intellectual property rights for the variety.

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It’s not the first time NCP has taken legal action against a major UK supermarket, having previously commenced proceedings against Sainsbury’s in January 2024.

In October of the same year, the firm and the supermarket settled the dispute on the basis that Sainsbury’s changed its product specification and removed Tang Gold from sale pending the outcome of other proceedings concerning the variety.

NCP said this new infringement action represents an “intensification” of its efforts to protect its rights in the Nadorcott variety.

It added that it “reserves the right to take all appropriate measures to prevent unauthorised exploitation of its intellectual property in all relevant jurisdictions”.

Asda has declined to comment.