Piaggio wins the case against the Chinese: the Vespa brand is protected by the rights of the owner

The unmistakable shape of the Vespa must be protected by copyright. This was set by the Turin Court of Appeal, which concluded a six-year lawsuit in which Italian company Piaggio compared with two Chinese competitors, the Zhejang Zhongneng Industry Group and Taizhou Zhongneng Import And Export, manufacturers and sellers of motorcycles. affirming the nullity of Vespa's "three-dimensional mark" and the absence of copyright protection. But the judges of Turin – both the lower court and the appellate courts – rejected this approach and recognized that the Vespa needed to be protected from imitations.

It was the financial guard who initiated the seizure of some vehicles exhibited at the Eicma fair in Milan in 2013. "Confirming the judgment of first instance – says the lawyer of the Italian company, Fabrizio Jacobacci – the court of appeal rejected the attacks of Chinese companies , recognized the historical value of the shape of Vespa, which has the same distinctive heart from 1945 to date, and has paid particular attention to the distinctive character and value of the three-dimensional mark, so easy to obtain from Italian courts and European courts. , represents a huge success for Piaggio as it is the latest initiative against a Chinese giant trying to exploit Vespa's reputation for commercial purposes. "