At Sanremo 'Ariston' is just the theatre: radio changes brand

In the common imagination (and in the memories of television viewers of any generation)Ariston is synonymous with Sanremo Festival. But there is much more story to be told (and defended) behind the brand. It is precisely the protection of the famous brand that is at the centre of a recent ordinance of the Court of Genoa that, in a dispute over the improper use of the wording, reaffirmed its value as a "renowned brand" owned exclusively by Ariston S.r.l, the Sanremo company that owns the famous Ligurian theatre. Which, in addition to hosting the historic music festival for decades, has always distinguished itself as an all-round cultural institution in the entertainment sector.

The input to the legal dispute came from an ill-advised choice. In the spring of 2025 a number of promotional pitches had been circulated concerning the birth - precisely in Sanremo - of a radio with a decidedly singular name, Radio Ariston. It was not, in fact, a brand new broadcaster: born as Radio 88, it had been purchased by a Sicilian publisher who, precisely in 2025, had launched a rebranding operation starting with a new name. The search for dialogue between the company owning the brand - Ariston Srl - and the radio station's owner was to no avail: in fact, the reference partner invited the publisher not to launch the station in those terms and to avoid using the Ariston brand improperly, even as leverage for any kind of investment.

The ignored invitation was therefore followed - in May 2025 - by a warning letter from Ariston Srl's lawyers, in which they contested the unauthorised use of the sign, requesting the withdrawal of both the deposit of the trademark 'Radio Ariston' and the domain name radioariston.it. Having failed to obtain the desired result, the Srl chose the legal route, opting for an appeal to the Court.

Accepting the appeal lodged by Ariston Srl, in August 2025 the Genoese Court ordered the cessation of all use of the term "Ariston" in distinctive signs, signs, companies and domains by the radio channel, imposing the modification of the "Radio Ariston" brand within 30 days. And providing for the application of a penalty of 1,000 euros for each day of delay. "The order represents an important step not only for the protection of Teatro Ariston per se, but for the defence of cultural trademarks and their symbolic value," explained lawyer Vincenzo Jandoli, who assisted Ariston Srl - as a partner of the law firm Lexsential - together with associate Celestino Quarato and, for corporate profiles, partner Pasquale Di Mino. "The court reaffirmed the principle that an enhanced protection of the trademark is necessary, also in related sectors within the creative and cultural industries."

In the perimeter of brand protection, the order has a not inconsiderable impact. "For the appeal we have reconstructed - together with the owner - how the Ariston trademark has been used over the years, with tens of thousands of passages made on RAI that were unrelated even to the world of music and demonstrated its weight in the show," adds lawyer Jandoli. 'Teatro Ariston, in fact, does not only mean the Sanremo Festival. It clearly has the greatest resonance thanks to this event but, before hosting the music festival, which was certainly an important springboard, it was already known for shows of great national and international stature. As well as for sporting events: for example, in the 1970s and 1980s it even hosted boxing matches. For the rest of the year, then, besides being a theatre with programming, it is also a cinema and, in general, a place of entertainment'.