Collective trademarks of Valpolicella wines transferred to the Consortium for “even more protection”

Ownership of the collective and certification trademarks “Amarone”, “Amarone della Valpolicella”, “Recioto della Valpolicella”, “Valpolicella Ripasso” and “Valpolicella” has been transferred from the Verona Chamber of Commerce to the Consortium of Valpolicella Wines. After 21 years, this is a historic “passing the baton” (as we reported recently) of the main “red wine” appellation in the Veneto region. The transfer agreement, signed by notarial deed, was made official recently at a conference at the Verona Prefecture. It merges managing designations of origin (institutionally the responsibility of the Consortiums with ministerial authorization), with collective and certification trademarks, essential tools to register and protect in Italy and on International markets, especially outside the European Union. “Vino di Ripasso” and “Ripasso” trademarks as well as the “Recioto” collective and certification trademark have also been transferred, the latter is also jointly owned by the Vicenza Chamber of Commerce (which holds a 50% stake together with the Verona Chamber of Commerce).
“Since 2004, at the request of the Consortium’s administration at that time, we have sustained protection of the denomination by registering collective trademarks of the main destinations for the great Valpolicella reds”, Carlo De Paoli, member of the Verona Chamber of Commerce board, explained. “Registering trademarks was a responsibility that fell within the Chamber’s prerogatives, and an alliance was formed, which through the years has helped safeguard the identity and authenticity of the wines the Consortium has protected and promoted. Today, the context has profoundly changed. Faced with a growing need for oversight and protection, the Chamber of Commerce has agreed to sell the collective trademarks in its portfolio, thereby ensuring the Consortium a broader, more direct, and more strategic scope of action”.
“The agreement with the Chamber of Commerce is a pivotal step for the Consortium”, Christian Marchesini, President of the Consorzio dei Vini Valpolicella, explained. “Having the ownership of our denomination’s collective trademarks will allow us to be even more effective in protecting it. This is a crucial and admirable effort, in terms of numbers as well. From 2018 to today, the Consortium has allocated over 1.2 million euros to fight and prevent counterfeiting, the improper use of our wine names, and “Italian-sounding” wines in Italy and abroad. There have been a total of 176 disputes, including ongoing and concluded cases. Some of the most successful cases won were against the Swedish brands “Casa Marrone” and “Casa Marrone Appassimento”, as well as “Passorone” and “Ronepasso”, which awarded the Consortium a settlement of approximately 1 million euros that will be invested in promotional activities”.
Amarone counts the most Italian sounding wines in protection cases (20 cases in 2024 alone). Joint surveillance efforts, including those conducted by the Consortium, have prevented the registration and ordered the recall of many products from all markets. This is especially true of wines in China, “A Ma Luo Ni” and “Annamarone”, in Brazil, “Emporio Amarone”, in Italy, “Amaronauta” and in the EU, “San Vincenzo dell'Amarone”, “Sumarone”, “La Marone”, and “Primarone”. In France, the wines “Gran Marone” and “Granmarone” have been reported, and in the United States, “Amarina” and “Calpolicella”. The “Valpolicella Riposto” labels in Norway and “Shiraz Metode Ripasso” in Australia have been reported and banned.
The Consortium’s next steps, within the end of the year, include registering the trademark transfer by the Chamber of Commerce, and subsequently registering ownership on all markets currently covered by the Chamber of Commerce's register. This includes Italy, the European Union, Canada, Australia, China, the United States of America, South Africa, Argentina, Japan, and New Zealand, covering 41 countries, 27 of which are within the EU and 14 outside the EU.