Historical Trademarks featured in Parliament Magazine: focus on Made in Italy and the new frontiers of internationalization

Issue 6 of July 2025 of Parlamento Magazine, the prestigious parliamentary magazine that in this edition devotes extensive attention to Made in Italy, features an authoritative contribution signed by the Director General of the Association of Italian Historical Trademarks, Rocco Orefice.

The article traces recent regulatory developments and initiatives promoted by the Association, with particular reference to the official establishment of theItalian Historical Trademark, an English-language version of the Historical Trademark, introduced with the Decree of February 28, 2025. This measure, strongly supported by the Association, represents a strategic tool to counter phenomena such as counterfeiting and Italian Sounding, as well as to concretely support companies in their internationalization and foreign market penetration activities.

To date, with about 1,000 Historical Trademarks recognized, the Registry is configured as an authentic expression of Italian manufacturing excellence, fully representing the so-called “four A’s” of Made in Italy: Apparel-Fashion, Furniture-Houseware, Automotive-Mechanics and Agribusiness. The latter sector, in particular, constitutes about 50 percent of registered Trademarks, confirming itself as the leading sector of the national production system.

Founded in 2021, theAssociation of Italian Historical Trademarks has consolidated over the years its role as an institutional interlocutor, authoritative and proactive, with the aim of protecting, enhancing and promoting Historical Trademarks as strategic assets for the country. A commitment that has translated into a constant activity of confrontation with Parliament, the competent Ministries and the Chamber system, and that has already led to concrete results, such as the signing of memoranda of understanding and participation in the reform tables of the Industrial Property Code.

Among the proposals put forward by the Association, particular relevance are:

• The strengthening of the Historical Trademarks Registry, transforming it from a mere reconnaissance list to an active industrial policy tool, including through reward mechanisms in public tenders and public administration contracts;
• The introduction of protective measures against relocations that are inconsistent with the Historical Trademarks’ identity, through prior assessments in the case of significant corporate transactions;
• the proposal for a “Heritage Bonus,” a tax credit intended for investments in restoration, digitization of business archives and musealization of business places, in order to enhance industrial history also from a cultural and tourism perspective.

In this context, the Association is working on the realization of theItalian Heritage Forum – Stati Generali dei Historical Trademarks del Made in Italy, a major national event that will see the participation of businesses, institutions, universities, young people and the media, to reflect on the role of Historical Trademarks in the construction of an industrial policy oriented toward memory and long-term sustainability.

Defending Italy’s Historical Trademarks is not a nostalgic exercise, but a strategic choice: they represent the foundations of a model of development that is sustainable, inclusive and rooted in the territories. Where there is memory, there is identity. Where there is identity, there is future.

The full article is available in the July 2025 issue of Parliament Magazine – Made in Italy Special

Read the article signed by the Director