Sanremo Festival: Rai Explains Removal of L'Unità Logo. 'Not Censorship, But Trademark Protection'

During the 76th edition of the Italian Song Festival in Sanremo, broadcast live by Rai, a visual controversy erupted, causing a media storm. Viewers noticed that the logo of the historic newspaper 'L'Unità' had disappeared from the studio background. This newspaper, founded in 1924 by Antonio Gramsci, was for decades an icon of the Italian left and a symbol of resistance against fascism. Its sudden removal from the screen, watched by millions of Italians, immediately fueled speculation about political censorship by the public broadcaster. The matter was picked up by numerous media outlets, including 'Corriere della Sera', 'Open', and 'Il Fatto Quotidiano', which reported on the growing public questions. In response to the criticism, Rai issued an official statement, firmly rejecting suspicions of political motives. Representatives of the broadcaster explained that the decision to remove the logo was based solely on internal procedures regarding the protection of trademarks. Rai, as a public institution, has strict rules aimed at avoiding the uncontrolled display of protected logos during live programs. The goal of these procedures is to minimize the risk of potential lawsuits for intellectual property infringement. It was emphasized that this was a standard preventive practice, not any assessment of the newspaper's content or political orientation. The incident with 'L'Unità' was not the only production problem during this edition of the festival. Earlier, another, more absurd error caught attention. A glaring typo appeared in the broadcast subtitles: the name of the Italian newspaper 'la Repubblica' was displayed as 'Repupplica'. This minor mistake, quickly spotted by viewers, immediately became a viral topic on social media, the subject of numerous memes and jokes. It combined an atmosphere of vigilance and critical observation of Rai's production with a sense of comedy. The Sanremo Festival, held continuously since 1951, is not only Italy's most important music competition but also a key television event with enormous social and cultural reach. Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), as the public broadcaster established in 1924, has a constitutional duty to provide objective, complete, and impartial service. Its actions are therefore particularly closely scrutinized for adherence to neutrality principles. Both events – serious allegations of censorship and a trivial spelling error – were linked by the fact that they concerned the graphic and textual layer visible to millions of viewers of a key program. They sparked a broader discussion about work standards, transparency, and the responsibility of the public broadcaster. Questions are being raised about where the line is drawn between necessary legal protection and excessive, perhaps inconsistently applied, interference with the image reaching society. Are procedures meant to protect against legal disputes being used in a way that may arouse suspicions of bias? This debate touches on the fundamental role of Rai in Italian public life.