Italian carrier Aeroitalia has lost a court battle, and will be forced to change its name and livery, for being too similar to that of Alitalia. The irony, of course, is that Alitalia has since been rebranded as ITA Airways.
Aeroitalia loses court battle, forced to rebrand
For context, Aeroitalia is a relatively small Italian airline, operating a fleet of just over a dozen aircraft. The carrier’s fleet ranges from the ATR 72-600 to the Boeing 737-800. Below is what an Aeroitalia aircraft looks like, just to give you a sense of the branding.
In late 2023, Societa Italiana Brevetti, which protects the intellectual property of ITA Airways, contested Aeroitalia’s brand, stating it was too similar to that of Alitalia. However, in early 2024, a judge rejected the request, concluding that the brands don’t seem visually similar enough for it to cause confusion among consumers.
A court in Rome has now issued a different ruling, and it has serious implications for Aeroitalia. An Italian court has found the name and livery of Aeroitalia to be too similar to that of Alitalia, and claims that this has created public confusion.
By January 1, 2026, Aeroitalia must stop using the Aeroitalia name, plus the stylized “A” logo with three colors. Furthermore, within 15 days of the order, the airline needs to stop using the aeroitalia.com domain. In other words, the rebranding will largely have to happen in the coming days.
In response to this ruling, ITA Airways has issued the following statement:
“We are very satisfied with the order issued by the Court of Rome, which confirms the validity of our legal action and the arguments we have supported since the beginning of this matter. Our only objective has been and continues to be the protection of the Alitalia brand, an asset of absolute value in economic terms and attractiveness at a global level. We are focusing a lot on the relaunch of this precious brand, we started with the writing ‘inspired by Alitalia’ on three of our aircraft and we are studying the best possible solutions to enhance it to the maximum in the near future”.
Meanwhile Aeroitalia has issued the following statement:
“Following the decision that overturned the outcome of the first-degree precautionary judgment by accepting ITA’s request to force Aeroitalia to change its name, logo and brand, the company is carefully evaluating the possibility of an appeal to the Supreme Court. Although it considers the legal action to be unfounded and instrumental, Aeroitalia is looking ahead and reflecting on the possibility of transforming this situation into an opportunity: an international rebranding that reflects the evolution already underway and the vision of growth that the company has been pursuing for some time.”
Are the two airline brands really that similar?
Okay, I can kind of see how the branding between the two airlines is very similar, in terms of the stylized “A” on the tail, the colors, and the general names. At the same time, that largely just reflects Italy:
- Both airlines use a lot of green, red, and white in their branding, but that largely reflects that those are the colors of the Italian flag
- “Aero” simply means “air” and “Italia” is just the name of the country, so those aren’t exactly unique words
So I wouldn’t be surprised if Aeroitalia’s branding was in some way inspired by Alitalia. At the same time, I can’t imagine there’s actually much brand confusion caused by this.
The irony is that Alitalia has since been renamed ITA Airways, with completely different branding. So I can’t imagine there’s much confusion between ITA Airways and Aeroitalia. Then again, that doesn’t take away the rights of ITA Airways to that intellectual property.
I can’t help but chuckle a little about the comment describing Alitalia as “an asset of absolute value in economic terms and attractiveness at a global level.”
Bottom line
Aeroitalia is being forced to rebrand, as regulators claim that the name and branding are too similar to that of Alitalia. Aeroitalia will have to take down its website within days, and will have to fully rebrand by the beginning of 2026. I’m curious to see what branding the airline decides on…
What do you make of Aeroitalia being forced to rebrand?
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