Secretos Industriales, el factor clave en la exitosa internacionalización de una bebida italiana de clase mundial: Caso Campari

In recent years, trade secrets have been gaining importance within the IP world. Successful stories where secrets are the core of a business’s success have inspired many companies to protect their valuable knowledge under secrecy instead of using other IPRs. One of the world’s most important trade secrets is Coca-Cola. However, there exists another secret recipe for the preparation of a famous bitter liquor called Campari. This unique, vibrant red drink became a contemporary icon of the Italian lifestyle and, more, a world-synonym of the “Made in Italy”. Famous cocktails such as the Negroni or James Bond’s Americano have contributed to expanding the popularity of Campari, which is now distributed in more than 190 countries and has more than 20 production plants worldwide. This paper aims to analyze Campari’s trade secret story and its crucial role in the transformation of a family business into one of the world’s major players in the alcoholic beverages industry. KEYWORDS: Law and economics, intellectual property, trade secrets, industrial development, competitive advantage. JEL CODE / CLASIFICACIÓN JEL: F14, O34 RESUMENEn los últimos años, los secretos industriales han ido ganando importancia en el mundo de la propiedad intelectual. Varias historias exitosas donde los secretos comerciales son el núcleo del éxito empresarial han impulsado a que muchos negocios opten por proteger su información valiosa a través del secreto industrial en lugar de otros derechos de propiedad intelectual. Uno de los secretos comerciales más famosos del mundo es Coca-Cola, sin embargo, existe otra receta secreta para la preparación de un famoso licor con un particular gusto amargo llamado Campari. Esta bebida de color rojo intenso no solo se convirtió en un icono del estilo de vida italiano sino en un símbolo contemporáneo de la industria italiana misma. Cocteles mundialmente famosos como el Negroni o el Americano de James Bond han contribuido a expandir la popularidad de Campari, que actualmente se distribuye en 190 países y tiene más de 20 plantas de producción en todo el mundo. El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar la historia del secreto comercial de Campari y su papel como factor clave en la transformación de un negocio familiar, en una empresa líder mundial en la industria de las bebidas alcohólicas. ABSTRACTIn recent years, trade secrets have been gaining importance within the IP world. Successful stories where secrets are the core of a business’s success have inspired many companies to protect their valuable knowledge under secrecy instead of using other IPRs. One of the world’s most important trade secrets is Coca-Cola. However, there exists another secret recipe for the preparation of a famous bitter liquor called Campari. This unique, vibrant red drink became a contemporary icon of the Italian lifestyle and, more, a world-synonym of the “Made in Italy”. Famous cocktails such as the Negroni or James Bond’s Americano have contributed to expanding the popularity of Campari, which is now distributed in more than 190 countries and has more than 20 production plants worldwide. This paper aims to analyze Campari’s trade secret story and its crucial role in the transformation of a family business into one of the world’s major players in the alcoholic beverages industry. KEYWORDS: Law and economics, intellectual property, trade secrets, industrial development, competitive advantage. JEL CODE / CLASIFICACIÓN JEL: F14, O34