Italian Sounding

Parmigiano Reggiano
Mozzarella di bufala
Prosecco
Pecorino
Prosciutto di San Daniele

Italian Sounding is the marketing phenomenon consisting of words and images, colour combinations (the Italian tricolour), and geographical references for brands that are evocative of Italy to promote and market agri-food products that have nothing to do with Italian cuisine.[1] The phenomenon is described by the Office of the Ministry of Economic Development (MISE) called Directorate General for the Protection of Industrial Property – Italian Patent and Trademark Office (DGTPI-UIBM).[2]

Italian Sounding began gaining media coverage during the final stages of Expo 2015, hosted by Milan, Italy, and having theme "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life".[3] As part of a debate held in the "Cibus è Italia" pavilion on the problem of counterfeiting and Italian Sounding, the Government of Italy was asked to set up a "permanent observatory on Italian Sounding".[4]

Counterfeit products violate registered trademarks or other distinctive signs protected by law such as the designations of origin (DOC, PDO, DOCG, PGI, TSG, and IGT), therefore the counterfeiting is legally punishable.[5] Italian Sounding cannot be classified as illegal from a strictly legal standpoint but still represent "a huge damage to the Italian economy and to the potential resources of Made in Italy".[6] Two out of three Italian agri-food products sold worldwide are made outside of Italy.[7] The Italian Sounding phenomenon is estimated to generate €55 billion worldwide annually.[8]

  1. ^ "In cosa consiste l'Italian Sounding" (in Italian). 25 March 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Analisi Giuridica del Fenomeno "Italian Sounding" negli USA" (PDF) (in Italian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Microsoft PowerPoint - MINA-Expo2015Milan-feeding the planet-energy for life.ppt" (PDF). Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Cibus è Italia, i progetti per il dopo" (in Italian). 28 October 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Indagine conoscitiva sulle ricadute sul sistema agroalimentare italiano dell'accordo di partenariato transatlantico su commercio e investimenti (TTIP)" (in Italian). Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Rapporto IPERICO sulla Lotta alla Contraffazione in Italia nel Settore Agroalimentare 2009–2012" (PDF) (in Italian). Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  7. ^ Montagnoli, Livia (19 May 2021). "Italian sounding: cos'è, come funziona e quali danni fa al made in Italy" (in Italian).
  8. ^ "Italian sounding: giro di affari da 55 miliardi" (in Italian). Retrieved 17 December 2021.