Italy Trademark Information

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country located in south-central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. The population is estimated at 60418711 with a GDP of $1.740 trillion.

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Trademarks are assigned through the Italian Patent and Trademark Office, Directorate General of Combating Counterfeiting, Ministry of Economic Development. Italy is a member of the Madrid Protocol. A trademark is valid for 10 years and may be renewed for further periods of 10 years each.