The Italian Ministry of Agriculture, together with Italy’s ICQRF (Central Inspectorate for Quality Control and Fraud Prevention in Agri-Food Products), has renewed for the fourth time its strategic agreement with Alibaba Group, further strengthening the protection and promotion of Italy’s agri-food excellence across global e-commerce platforms.
The renewed memorandum extends protection from the 44 Geographical Indications (GIs) covered under the 2023 agreement to the entire portfolio of 892 Italian GIs, marking a significant step forward in safeguarding the country’s high-value food and wine products.
The agreement specifically targets the fight against counterfeit Italian agri-food and wine products sold online, particularly on Alibaba-owned platforms such as AliExpress and Alibaba.com.
FULL PROTECTION AND ENHANCED COOPERATION
With this renewal, the Italian government and Alibaba reinforce what is widely regarded as a best-in-class public-private partnership. The initiative not only expands legal protection but also deepens operational collaboration.
Alibaba and ICQRF have committed to:
- Increasing information sharing
- Enhancing training and educational initiatives for online sellers
- Promoting awareness of Geographical Indications as markers of quality and authenticity
Flagship Italian products—including Chianti DOCG, Prosecco DOC, Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, PDO Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Romano, Gorgonzola, and Mozzarella di Bufala Campana—will continue to benefit from one of the highest levels of protection available globally.
TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN ENFORCEMENT
The agreement leverages advanced digital tools to identify and remove counterfeit listings. Through Alibaba’s Intellectual Property Protection Platform (IPP), ICQRF can directly report suspected violations.
- Alibaba employs:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning systems
- Image detection technologies
- Risk analysis tools
These systems proactively scan listings and remove infringing products, continuously improving through data and expertise shared by ICQRF. In parallel, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture has established a dedicated ICQRF task force that conducts daily monitoring of suspicious products and reports them to Alibaba platforms.
SIGNING IN ROME
The renewal was signed in Rome on March 25, 2026, in the presence of Francesco Lollobrigida, Italy’s Minister of Agriculture, and Matthew Bassiur, Vice President and Head of Global IP Enforcement at Alibaba Group.
Francesco Lollobrigida, Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry, said, “With this fourth renewal, we take a further step forward in protecting our Geographical Indications, extending coverage to the entire Italian GI system, including traditional products of high economic value. Protecting businesses means ensuring recognisability, authenticity, and transparency for products that carry Italy’s name worldwide. These are the elements that generate economic value, benefiting producers and markets that choose quality and legality.”
Matthew Bassiur – Vice President and Head of Global IP Enforcement, Alibaba Group, added, “We are proud to renew our fruitful collaboration, one of the best examples of public-private partnership. On AliExpress and Alibaba.com, we protect millions of consumers in over 200 countries, while supporting thousands of small Italian producers in safeguarding their products. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to protecting Italian excellence and ‘Made in Italy’, one of the most recognised and sought-after brands in the world.”