“Protection of Made in Italy in the US”: this is the theme of the webinar that the Italian Embassy in the United States is organising in collaboration with the Guardia di Finanza and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) – ICE Office in New York, on the protection of trademarks and patents in the US market, dedicated to Italian companies interested in operating in the US, to be held on 2 February in Washington DC. Participants can register for the webinar via this link. “The protection of trademarks and patents that make ‘Made in Italy’ unique in the world is among the main concerns of our entrepreneurs when they approach foreign markets. The ‘Italian System’ in the US is ready to protect Italian companies, in close cooperation with US authorities,” highlighted Ambassador Mariangela Zappia with regard to the initiative.
The webinar, which has now reached its second edition, is aimed at informing Italian entrepreneurs interested in doing business in the US that their trademarks and industrial patents are protected by the competent Italian institutions in cooperation with US authorities. In particular, the “Intellectual Property Protection and Trade Barrier Assistance Desk” of ICE New York – which provides initial assistance, information, training and monitoring regarding Intellectual Property and Market Access regulations – as well as the Guardia di Finanza Officer seconded to the Embassy in Washington DC – who works in conjunction with the US Police Agencies in charge of investigating counterfeiting of trademarks and patents registered in the US – are on the front line.
As emphasised by Colonel Alberto Nastasia of the General Command of the Guardia di Finanza, “Safeguarding the market for goods and services is a priority for the Guardia di Finanza, which works in full synergy with US law enforcement agencies to combat criminal organisations engaged in, among other things, the illegal production and distribution of counterfeit products. It is a shared conviction that the protection of economic and consumer freedom is an essential prerequisite for sustaining development and growth. The initiative promoted by the Italian Embassy in Washington DC can be replicated in other important geographical areas.”
The webinar, which will be moderated by Class CNBC’s US correspondent Stefania Spatti and will be available online, will be attended not only by Ambassador Zappia, but also by Amedeo Teti, Director General at the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Colonel Alberto Nastasia of the General Command of the Guardia di Finanza, Marcello Di Laura, Special Agent of the Homeland Security Investigation – National Intellectual Property Right Coordination Center, and Antonino Laspina, Director of the ICE New York Office and Coordinator of the ICE USA network. The programme also features the testimony of several Italian women entrepreneurs and a presentation by Daniela Morrison, Attorney at the “Intellectual Property Protection and Trade Barrier Assistance Desk” of ICE New York. Finally, in light of the renewal of the agreement between ICE and Amazon, an Amazon representative will report on the group’s commitment to protecting original Made in Italy products on the platform. A brochure has been created for the event which collects useful references and “guiding” advice for entrepreneurs on the protection of Italian trademarks and patents on foreign markets.
