THE CASE OF THE DA MICHELE PIZZERIA TRADEMARK

Recently, the specialized business section of the Court of Naples had to deal with the case of the heirs of Michele Condurro, founder of Pizzeria da Michele, who claimed rights to the eponymous trademark.

 Michele Condurro founded the pizzeria that bears his name, located in the popular Forcella neighborhood, way back in 1870. Over the years, his pizza has become so famous that it was even mentioned by Julia Roberts in the film Eat Pray Love.

 Michele Condurro's heirs recently clashed over the right to use the "Da Michele" trademark, which became the subject of dispute between a branch of the family that claimed the right to use it to open various branches in Italy and abroad.

 Similar cases have occurred with pizza chef Gino Sorbillo and are also happening with the SaldeRiso brand, which sees award-winning pastry chef Salvatore de Riso suing his brother.

 So after registering the company and domains internet , the lawsuit for the recognition and exclusive use of the name “Da Michele” began in 2016.

 The Court finally ruled that the exclusive right to use the name throughout Italy and internationally belongs to the Condurro heirs, who run the Da Michele pizzeria in Forcella, and ordered the removal of signs, domains, and social media activity. The ruling ultimately recognized that the name serves a specific, individualizing function, which has strengthened over time through the maintenance of high quality standards, resulting in a strong brand, and the rights to use that brand belong to whoever first adopted and used it.