In case you missed it, a court in Italy earlier this year handed down a historical ruling that acknowledged the creative nature and artistic value of the shape of the Vespa scooter and validated Piaggio’s sole ownership of the form.
The ruling came at the end of a case started in 2013, when, upon the opening of the EICMA two-wheeler show in Milan, the Italian Finance Police seized 11 scooters on display belonging to seven different exhibitors because their shape was thought to be an imitation of a Vespa.
The Italian Finance Police seized the vehicles after determining that the products violated the exclusive right of Piaggio’s so-called “three-dimensional brand” registered to protect the distinctive shape of a Vespa – something that manufacturer says constitutes its most comprehensive instrument to protect the iconic shape of its product.
One of the companies involved in the seizure, China-based manufacturer Taizhou Zhongneng, filed a countersuit against Piaggio, asking the court to declare null the owned form of the Vespa and to rule out that its ZNEN brand “Ves” scooter (Model # ZN50QT-27) seized at EICMA was a counterfeit. However, the court rejected petitions and threw out the suit.
Photo by S.I.P. Scooter Shop - Moritz K