2020 for Sistema Prosecco: more than counterfeits, it’s the fight against “evocative” brands

More than 135 legal actions have been carried out by Sistema Prosecco in 2020. Real battles were conducted in dozens of countries on various continents, all with the common denominator of protecting the name Prosecco, in Italy and abroad. Born in 2014 thanks to the will of the three Consortia representing the “Prosecco World” (Consorzio di Tutela della Doc Prosecco, Consorzio di Tutela della Docg Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco and Consorzio di Tutela della Docg Asolo Prosecco), Sistema Prosecco has implemented over the years the number of legal activities and strategies aimed at defending the notoriety of Prosecco, the realities that represent it and consumers around the world. In just over a five-year period, the company has managed to create a dense network of collaborations with national and foreign authorities, also signing important ad hoc protocols, especially in those countries where the greatest number of problems related to the protection of Prosecco have occurred.
“If it’s true that the success of a product is also measured by the number of imitations of it - explains Stefano Zanette, president of Sistema Prosecco - we can’t help but emphasize that Prosecco is one of the most imitated denominations in the world. This is why we take our mission very seriously and work, day after day, to intensify our defense tools”. And it is a real barrage that Sistema Prosecco uses to defuse the hundreds of frauds detected, thanks also to the reports of producers and consumers, necessary support to a whole series of capillary control activities. Every year, for example, a company is delegated to carry out controls at points of sale, bars and restaurants in various European and non-European countries. A trademark surveillance service has been activated which acts on a global level and which signals, almost in real time, deposits of trademarks which could create misunderstandings with the word “Prosecco”. And, never as in this moment, Sistema Prosecco also watches over everything related to e-commerce, with a daily control on the major online selling platforms.
But compared to the first years of activity, Sistema Prosecco in this 2020, a year that is anomalous in many ways, has found new dangers that are added to those already existing. If pure and simple counterfeiting marks a halt, the phenomenon of evocation is gaining ground, with well-studied projects, often borderline with the laws in force. “But even on this front we are responding blow for blow - continues Zanette - and in recent months we have obtained important legal pronouncements in our favor that set fundamental jurisprudential precedents that will certainly be useful to us in dealing with similar situations in the future. This is with a view to consolidating the protection of the name Prosecco also to counter the exploitation of the reputation of our Denominations on the labels of various products, from soaps to chocolates, from cosmetics to even products that belong to the sexual sphere”.
The imperative for 2021 is therefore not to lower our guard in order to face the continuous attacks to which Prosecco has become, to all intents and purposes, one of the symbols of Made in Italy. “The name Prosecco has long been a heritage of our country - concludes Zanette - and we feel a strong responsibility to defend and protect it in all ways and with all the tools that the law provides us with. Therefore, we will continue to fight on all fronts and we take advantage of this moment to launch an appeal to consumers all over the world. Help us in our mission by verifying that the product you are being sold is authentic Prosecco and, above all, report to us all cases that may appear doubtful”.