The Consortium for the promotion and protection of Piadina Romagnola PGI has once again succeeded in defending the fame and prestige of the product that is the symbol of Romagna, and of Italian food and agriculture, despite Brexit.
A THREAT ON THE BRITISH MARKET
The danger, right on the British market, came from Spain. Last August, news arrived in Romagna that two applications for registration (both name and logo) of the so-called ‘Piadine di Modena’ trademarks had been filed at the United Kingdom trademark register.
A large Spanish food group had in fact attempted this coup. It allegedly used those new ambiguous trademarks in the UK to distinguish, among others, products such as bread, bakery cereal-based snacks.
If those trademarks had been registered, apart from being in contrast with the registration of Piadina Romagnola and Piada Romagnola PGI, they would have created disorientation for British consumers as to the real origin of authentic Piadina.
THE PIADINA ROMAGNOLA PGI CONSORTIUM’S COUNTER-ATTACK
In mid-September the Consortium of Piadina Romagnola PGI switched to a counter-attack and decided to file legal action against this attempt to counterfeit its trademark. Had it been successful, the registration of a ‘Piadine di Modena’ trademark could in fact represent a serious obstacle to the marketing of Piadina Romagnola in the UK.
The dispute was thus opened with the filing of an opposition petition at the United Kingdom Patent and Trademark Office, thanks also to the economic contribution of Deco Industrie which produces piadina with the Loriana trademark.
In the last few weeks the case has been successfully resolved. The UK Patent and Trademark Office has accepted the oppositions filed by the Consortium for the Promotion and Protection of Piadina Romagnola PGI, canceling the applications for registration of the Piadine di Modena trademarks.
FIGHTING AGAINST COUNTERFEITING, DESPITE BREXIT
“This is a great result not only for our Consortium but also for the Romagna area as a whole – says Alfio Biagini, president of the Consortium for the Promotion and Protection of Piadina Romagnola PGI -. This case, the outcome of which was anything but predictable – especially considering the particular situation that arose between the end of October and the beginning of November 2019 with regard to Brexit – shows how it is possible to hinder the misappropriation of the prestige and notoriety of Italian style, even in faraway countries.”