send lawyers, guns and money

Italian intellectual property laws seem to be... somewhat more flexible than in America. Or at least they aren't enforced with the same vigor and enthusiasm that you see in the US. Lots of products over here are advertised with the unofficial help of various fixtures of American pop culture; for example, there's a brand of orzo espresso (a nasty drink made from grain) that has Bugs Bunny on its machines. Somehow it seems unlikely that Warner Brothers okayed that...

Anyway, here are a couple of examples that I thought were particularly interesting. First, on the side of an orange truck that we passed on the road going through Calabria:



Because nothing says oranges than turtle ninjas. Though if I remember right, they preferred junk food: still, we're all watching our health nowadays.

Here is another one, seen on the street in Naples:



Okay, this is maybe less a case of trademark violation and more one of WHAT THE HELL CAN THEY POSSIBLY BE THINKING? The O' Talebano (that's either Neapolitan dialect or an Irish affectation) snack bar? It's unlikely that Osama is going to file a cease and desist order any time, but really... My favorite part is that they deliver to your house; because who wouldn't want a visit from O' Talebano?