The Parmigiano Reggiano consortium has decided to take proactive steps to strengthen its historic trademark worldwide. To this end, the Italian company has signed agreement with NetNames (www.netnames.com), the online brand protection specialist, which will use its industry leading marketplace enforcement and website monitoring services to step up defence of Parmigiano Reggiano products in online sales and subsequently remove the websites using domain names containing the Parmigiano Reggiano trademark.
AN ONLINE DEFENCE STRATEGY WAS NEEDED – In this sense, Parmigiano Reggiano director Riccardo Deserti said: “Today, the internet is one of the main channels in which our product is marketed and sold through. The consortium decided to engage in this important partnership with NetNames, one of the world’s leading online brand protection and domain name management specialists, in order to execute a significantly more targeted defence and surveillance of our name against infringements on the main online marketplaces sites” This is the reason why, as he added: “We hope that from this agreement we can protect our dairies and consumers against counterfeiting, and therefore protect the reputation and integrity of our unique product.”
NETNAMES, THE SPECIALIST OF ONLINE BRAND DEFENSE – Whilst the denomination of the Italian cheese is protected throughout the EU, it is not effectively protected outside, leading to serious damage from commercial counterfeiting and abuse of the name. This is especially apparent in the United States, the largest market outside the EU, with exports of 150 million euros a year. NetNames operates in the field of Online Brand Protection and has offered to the Italy’s consortium anti-counterfeiting solutions. Jim Evans, general manager, Northern Europe at NetNames said that:“Securing a contract with the Parmigiano Reggiano consortium to protect the tradition and integrity of one of the oldest and most popular cheeses in the world is testament to NetNames’ expertise and knowledge of brand protection, and leading position in this area”. NetNames has extensive experience of working closely with some of the largest and most-recognised food and drink brands around the world. Jim Evans pointed out that: “Our specialist technology and expert analysts have the knowledge to identify the areas in which intellectual property rights are enforceable. This expertise will allow us to protect Parmigiano Reggiano’s trademark against infringements in the most proactive and effective ways possible.”
PROTECTED BY EUROPEAN LAWS, COUNTERFEITED WORLDWIDE – Under European law, Parmigiano Reggiano has been a protected designation of origin (PDO) since 1999. In addition, the European Court of Justice ruled in 2008 that Parmesan is an evocation of Parmigiano Reggiano meaning that, in the EU, Parmesan is protected as well as Parmigiano Reggiano. As such, Kraft Heinz, an American food company, was recently forced to stop selling its ‘Parmesan’ in Europe as it breached European law.