English
Italiano Ferrari guilty!
Big Tobacco Not Admitted to the Formula I Grand Prix Race of Monza.
Ferrari are running with colour-only branding after recent legislation
It was decided by the Court of Monza, following a petition presented by the Codacons, the coordination association for the defence of consumer rights, that asked to prohibit Ferrari from publicizing the Marlboro trademark.
A rigorous sentence “effective immediately”, notified on August 29th, the eve of the Monza Gran Premio, followed with great interest by the entire population of Italy. It affirmed that harm to the collective interest by Ferrari is undisputable.
So Ferrari's “Rosse” had to race without their sponsor, as the Consumer Associations had requested: The Law is the Law! This is how it may have appeared to the public. So Philip Morris in Italy doesn't count, people may have thought.
“Obstruction to free competition”
Today Big Tobacco counts more than ever before: the Italian government has just eliminated its competition by increasing the minimum price of all cigarettes to three euro a pack (the exact price of L&M and Winston, for example). Colossal harm to the collective interests, an enormous business behind the backs the consumer-sponsors.
“It is an obstruction to free competition, the European Union will intervene as it has already done against Greece and France”. The R.E.F. (Ricerche Economia Finanza) Institute of Milan has accused the measure of violating European regulations on the free determination of prices.
Moreover today, after taking over the market with its brands, now that the competition has been forced to retreat into the pits, Big Tobacco doesn't even need to waste any more money on advertising in Italy.
“Health rigour”
The judges of Monza referred in their verdict to the European Directive governing tobacco advertising and to Italian legislation that for some years has also regulated the question.
The European Union directive 2003/33/CE, assimilated in Italy in December 2004, and that took effect on July 31st 2005, prohibits the sponsorship of events of international relevance, whose advertising messages could pass outside the barriers of the host State and arrive in other Countries that have different legislation on publicity.
Furthermore, “the Italian Constitution itself – the judges wrote, – defines the right to health a collective interest, consequently propagandising products universally accepted as harmful for the health is, in itself, harm to the collective interest”. Ferrari was also condemned to the payment of the court expenses.
The petition was presented “only against Ferrari” says the Codacons – because it would have been much more complicated to appeal against all the foreign racing stables. But after the sentence, British American Tobacco, the multinational owner and sponsor of Honda, with the drivers Jenson Button and Takuma Sato, was the only company that officially announced that it was removing the Lucky Strike brand name from its racing cars and clothing at Monza.
For many days people talked about laws, cigarettes, Formula 1 cars and the health of citizen-spectators. Everyone or almost everyone seemed to think that in Italy the Law really is just and equal for all even for Philip Morris and for Ferrari!
But with this “health rigour”, in itself exemplary, the attention of the public was drawn away from the real and much greater harm to the collective interest: the evident collusion between the usual "mysterious subjects" within the Italian State and Big Tobacco, that is eliminating the competitors of Big Tobacco with the minimum price of 3 euro for a packet of cigarettes. That's how the rip-off is being covered up, to say it simply.
1991: Marlboro in the pits
In 1991, without disturbing Ferrari, Minister Rino Formica banned Marlboros from the Italian market saying: “This is not a country of fools; it's time Philip Morris understands that this game is over. Otherwise it will no longer sell its cigarettes in Italy”.
Rino Formica
Marlboro with Merit and Muratti, were eliminated from tobacco stores, duty-free shops and international flights. Under the law, authorities could enforce a one-month ban for each five tons of contraband goods seized.
Philip Morris at the time was accused, in fact, of using smuggling as method to penetrate the market. It was a decree made to measure for Marlboros, they said. But unfortunately, it lasted only a few months.
From 1991 until today, in Italy a profound change has taken place behind the scenes in the relationship with Big Tobacco. A careful investigation would bring out some interesting results.
The “Italian Cowboy”
Leaving Ferrari aside, today it's Big Tobacco that decides what cigarettes Italians will smoke… and no one has anything to say about it. Has Italy, perhaps, now become a country of fools?
The situation today in Italy is untenable and grotesque; it cannot go on for long into the future, and it will eventually backfire against those who thought they could make unlawful profits.
Who is the Philip Morris Man, the Italian cowboy inside the government? How long will we have to wait to see him the protagonist of jokes? Is he an accomplice or a simple unwitting madman?
Maybe wèll find out at the next Grand Prix?
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