On Thursday, the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) of Liguria ruled that the municipality of Sanremo can no longer directly assign the organization of the Sanremo Music Festival to Rai, the Italian public broadcaster. This annual event, held every February at the Ariston Theatre, is trademarked by the municipality. Starting in 2026, the court mandated that a public tender must be initiated to determine the organizer of the festival. However, the 2025 edition will still be organized and broadcast by Rai as scheduled, taking place from February 11 to 15.
The court’s decision stems from an appeal filed by Just Entertainment (JE), an association focused on producing events and musical works. It is highly anticipated that Rai will appeal this ruling, as the Sanremo Festival represents the most significant television event of the year, generating tens of millions of euros in advertising revenue. In 2021, the municipality had established an exclusive agreement with Rai for the rights to produce the 72nd and 73rd editions of the festival, specifically those for 2022 and 2023. As the contract neared its end in March 2023, JE expressed interest in acquiring the rights to the festival and its brand for the 2024 edition.
Prior to the expiration of the agreement, the municipality approved a resolution to once again award the organization of the 74th and 75th editions (for 2024 and 2025) to Rai without a public tender, prompting JE to file their appeal. A key aspect of the dispute involves the technical distinction between the festival’s format—its structure and characteristics—and the trademark owned by the municipality. Rai contends that it is the sole holder of the Sanremo Festival format, arguing that it is inseparable from the trademark and thus, the trademark can only be licensed to Rai. However, the TAR did not accept this identification of trademark and format, stating explicitly that “the municipality owns the trademark and is, therefore, free to associate it (following a public evidence procedure) with formats different from those of Rai.” Sanremo’s Mayor Alessandro Mager described the ruling as “unexpected” and indicated that further examination is needed.
