--- title: 'EU-Mercosur Agreement: Stronger Online Protection for Italian Geographical Indications' url: 'https://argobs.com/en/accordo-ue-mercosur-maggiore-tutela-delle-indicazioni-geografiche-italiane-online' markdown: 'https://argobs.com/en/accordo-ue-mercosur-maggiore-tutela-delle-indicazioni-geografiche-italiane-online.md' lang: en date: '2026-01-19' description: 'After twenty-five years of negotiations, the European Union has given political approval to the free trade agreement with Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), which must now complete the ratification process. For Made in Italy products online, this is a major milestone. Italy voted i…' taxonomy: category: - contraffazione - proprieta-intellettuale --- # EU-Mercosur Agreement: Stronger Online Protection for Italian Geographical Indications 19 January 2026 | Counterfeiting, Intellectual property After twenty-five years of negotiations, the European Union has given political approval to the free trade agreement with Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), which must now complete the ratification process. For Made in Italy products online, this is a major milestone. Italy voted in favour after securing reinforced guarantees for the agri-food sector and, above all, unprecedented protection for Geographical Indications. The most significant element of the agreement for Italian businesses is the protection of 57 Italian Geographical Indications, the highest number ever protected in a European Union trade agreement. Never before had an international treaty provided such extensive protection for Italian protected-designation products in a non-European market. Overall, the agreement protects more than 340 traditional European food products, but the 57 Italian designations account for the largest share. A result that confirms the strategic weight of Italy’s flagship agri-food products in international trade negotiations. ### What the “ban on imitation” means The agreement provides for an explicit ban on the imitation of protected Geographical Indications. In Mercosur countries it will no longer be possible to register trademarks that reproduce or evoke the protected designations, or to market products with similar names capable of confusing consumers. The use of terms such as “type”, “style” or “imitation” alongside the name of the GI is also prohibited. Italian designations will also be protected in translations and transliterations. ### The 57 protected Italian Geographical Indications The agreement protects a very broad range of Italian specialities: cheeses, cured meats, balsamic vinegars and some of Italy’s most representative wines. **Food products (26)** Aceto Balsamico di Modena Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena Aprutino Pescarese (extra virgin olive oil) Asiago Bresaola della Valtellina Cantuccini Toscani / Cantucci Toscani Culatello di Zibello Fontina Gorgonzola Grana Padano Mela Alto Adige / Südtiroler Apfel Mortadella Bologna Mozzarella di Bufala Campana Pancetta Piacentina Parmigiano Reggiano Pasta di Gragnano Pecorino Romano Pomodoro San Marzano dell’Agro Sarnese-Nocerino Prosciutto di Parma Prosciutto di San Daniele Prosciutto Toscano Provolone Valpadana Salamini Italiani alla Cacciatora Taleggio Toscano (cigar) Zampone Modena **Wines (31)** Asti Barbaresco Barbera d’Alba Barbera d’Asti Bardolino / Bardolino Superiore Barolo Brachetto d’Acqui / Acqui Brunello di Montalcino Campania Chianti Chianti Classico Conegliano-Prosecco / Valdobbiadene-Prosecco Dolcetto d’Alba Emilia / dell’Emilia Fiano di Avellino Franciacorta Greco di Tufo Lambrusco di Sorbara Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro Marche Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane Moscato d’Asti Oltrepò Pavese Prosecco Soave Superiore Taurasi Toscana / Toscano Valpolicella Valpolicella Ripasso Vermentino di Gallura Vino Nobile di Montepulciano ### The benefits of this protection Mercosur represents a market of around 280 million consumers, with a growing economy and increasing interest in premium European products. Brazil and Argentina, in particular, have historically been difficult markets for the protection of protected designations, with widespread circulation of products evoking protected names or outright counterfeits. The agreement also sets a significant precedent that could influence the European Union's future trade negotiations with other strategic regions, such as Asia-Pacific, Africa and North America, helping to define new standards for the protection of Geographical Indications. One particularly innovative aspect is preventive protection: GIs will be protected from the moment the agreement enters into force, reducing the need for lengthy and costly disputes after registration. ### Impact on online brand protection: new challenges and opportunities The agreement has direct implications for the online protection strategies of Italian companies holding Geographical Indications and their consortia. #### 1. Fighting counterfeiting on e-commerce sites and marketplaces The South American e-commerce market is a major commercial opportunity, but also a significant challenge in terms of GI protection. Mercado Libre, with over 140 million active users, is the region's leading platform, followed by Amazon Brazil and numerous local marketplaces. The EU-Mercosur agreement provides a stronger legal basis for combating digital counterfeiting in these markets. Companies holding Geographical Indications will be able to request the removal of listings that infringe protected designations through more structured and formalised procedures. Response times for takedown actions may be faster than in the past, when the absence of a clear regulatory framework made interventions complex and uncertain. #### 2. Social media and digital advertising The agreement also strengthens the protection of Geographical Indications in the social media and digital advertising ecosystem, providing a clearer legal foundation for acting against the unlawful use of protected designations. Platforms may be called upon to remove non-compliant advertising content, while influencer marketing also falls within the scope of the new protections. A particularly critical phenomenon involves fraudulent social profiles posing as official producers of Geographical Indication products, improperly using logos and protected designations. In emerging markets, where consumers' familiarity with authentic brands is often limited, these accounts can cause significant damage, both economic and reputational. ### Conclusions: a new strategic lever for protecting Made in Italy The EU-Mercosur agreement is a milestone for the protection of Italian Geographical Indications in South American markets, introducing a level of protection that was previously absent in an area marked by serious counterfeiting problems. Even pending full entry into force, the framework outlined by the agreement gives companies and consortia clearer, more structured legal tools to defend the value of protected designations. Stronger preventive protection makes it possible to act more effectively in the digital environment too, where marketplaces, social media and online advertising are now the main channels for spreading imitations. Being able to base enforcement activities on a shared regulatory framework improves dialogue with platforms and makes counterfeiting countermeasures more sustainable. In this context, the competitive advantage comes not only from the existence of the rule, but from companies' ability to integrate it into structured, ongoing brand protection strategies. Argo Business Solutions, a designated trusted flagger under the DSA, supports companies in the agri-food sector in implementing monitoring and protection activities across domains, social networks and marketplaces, guiding them through reporting and removal procedures in an ever-evolving regulatory environment. --- ## Navigation - Parent: [News](https://argobs.com/en/news.md) - Previous: [Argo defends Chianti: our work covered by the national press](https://argobs.com/en/argo-a-difesa-del-chianti-il-nostro-intervento-ripreso-dai-quotidiani-nazionali.md) - Next: [The Impact of Online Counterfeiting on Businesses](https://argobs.com/en/237703-2.md)