Bottega wins copyright infringement case against Ca' di Rajo

Prosecco producer Bottega S.p.A. has won a court battle in Italy over trademarks on its bottles.

The Venice Court of Appeal ruled in Bottega's favour in a copyright case brought against fellow producer Ca' di Rajo. The claim of copyright infringement related to mirror-effect gold and rose bottles produced by Ca' di Rajo, which Bottega claimed were too close in nature to its trademarked Bottega Gold and Rose Gold bottles.

Ca' di Rajo rejected claims of infringement, but the court found against the company and ordered it to pay the full legal costs and other expenses arising from the case. This judgement confirms those previously made in a tribunal and in two other preliminary phases of the case. 

At the heart of the Court of Appeal's judgement was the argument that the colouring and reflective character of Ca' di Rajo's bottles was too similar to Bottega's distinctive gold and rose bottles: "Therefore, neither the shape of the bottle, nor the label, nor any other graphic details are capable of eliminating the confusing effect of identical mirrors."

Bottega, a Prosecco producer with four centuries of viticultural heritage behind it, has been designing bottles with mirrored colours since 2001. The validity of the trademarks registered by Bottega over the years have been recognised by various bodies in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

22 March 2021 - Bethany Whymark