AN IMPORTANT TARGET REACHED IN THE PROTECTION OF "BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO": SOUTH KOREA HAS OFFICIALLY REGISTERED THE BRAND

The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino succeeds in an enterprise that no other foreigner had accomplished: the registration in South Korea of a “collective geographic brand name”

An important target reached in the protection of “Brunello di Montalcino”: South Korea has officially registered the brand. The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino succeeds in an enterprise that no other foreigner had accomplished: the registration in South Korea of a “collective geographic brand name”.

The registration of the name “Brunello di Montalcino” took place after a long passage that began with the application of recognition presented to the KIPO (the Korean body for registering brands) on behalf of the Consorzio lawyers in June 2007, followed by two preliminary refusals in June 2008. Thanks to the intervention of the Italian Embassy in Korea, of the ICE Office and of the Italian Desk for the safeguarding of Intellectual Property Rights in Seoul, the application was received by the KIPO, without further motives for refusal, on 30th January 2009. The right amount of time having passed during which objections could be raised, the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino has become the owner of the “collective geographic brand” in South Korea.

The Minister Zaia expressed his satisfaction on the subject: “For the first time, a foreign Geographic Indication (IG) will be registered in South Korea as a ‘collective geographic brand’ according to the Korean laws on brands. The fact that this Indication is Italian and to do with Brunello, one of the principal products made in Italy, gives me great satisfaction”.

South Korea constitutes one of the most important emerging markets and one of the most open to western wine culture. The annual export quota of Montalcino wines is 0.5% of the total production, but there are interesting growth margins.

For many years now - the first registration in the USA dates back to 1994 and applications have been made in as many as seventy countries – the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino has implemented a programme for the safeguarding of the “Brunello di Montalcino” brand. The President of the Consorzio, Patrizio Cencioni commented: “ the registration in South Korea represents an important step in the protection of the collective brand and consequently of the labels of the two-hundred Montalcino producers. It crowns the efforts of the Consorzio during these last years and it follows the policy of expansion toward the East and the emerging markets of Asia. Our thanks are due to the Ministry of Agricultural Policies that has been supporting us for years and for the safeguarding, to the ICE office in Seoul, to the Intellectual Property Desk, to the Italian Embassy in Seoul as well as to the Consorzio lawyers”.