Italian Prosecco the most loved but also the most imitated, a "system" of global protection

There were over 135 legal actions brought forward by Sistema Prosecco in the year that is about to end. A truly significant number of real battles conducted in dozens of countries on various continents, all with the common denominator of the protection of the Prosecco name in Italy and abroad.
Born in 2014 thanks to the will of the three Consortia that represent the "Prosecco World" (Consortium for the Protection of the Prosecco Doc, Consortium for the Protection of the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Docg and Consortium for the Protection of the Asolo Prosecco Docg), Prosecco System has implemented over the years the number of legal activities and strategies aimed at defending the reputation of Prosecco, the realities that represent it and consumers from all over the world.
In just over five years, 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 concerning protection have occurred.
“If it is true that the success of a product is also measured by the number of imitations concerning it - explains Stefano Zanette, President of Prosecco System - we cannot fail to underline how 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, a necessary support for a whole series of capillary control activities. Every year, for example, a company specializing in controls at points of sale, bars and restaurants in various European and non-European countries is delegated. A trademark surveillance service has been activated which operates on a global level and which reports, almost in real time, trademark filings that could create misunderstandings with the word “Prosecco”. And, never before has Sistema Prosecco also supervised everything concerning e-commerce with a daily check on the major online sales platforms.
But compared to the first years of activity, Prosecco System in this 2020, a year in many ways anomalous, has encountered new dangers that are added to the already existing ones. If pure and simple counterfeiting marks a setback, largely due also to the good work done, the phenomenon of evocation is gaining more and more ground, with well-studied projects, often bordering on what the laws allow.
"But even on this front we are responding blow by blow - continues Zanette - and in recent months we have obtained important legal pronouncements in our favor which determine fundamental jurisprudential precedents which will certainly be useful for us in dealing with similar situations in the future. This with a view to consolidating the protection of the Prosecco name also to oppose the exploitation of the reputation of our Denominations in 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 let our guard down in order to face the constant attacks to which what everyone now considers one of the symbols of Made in Italy is subjected.
“The name Prosecco has long been a heritage of our country - concludes President Zanette - and we feel a strong responsibility to defend and protect it in all ways and with all the tools that the law makes available to us. We will therefore continue to fight on all fronts and take advantage of this moment of final balance to launch an appeal to consumers from all over the world. Help us in our mission by verifying that the product sold to you is authentic Prosecco and, above all, notify us of any cases that may appear dubious".