Grillo's Court Battle Could Force Italy's Five-Star Movement to Rebrand Before Elections

The Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) faces an existential legal threat that could strip the party of its most recognizable assets: its name and iconic logo. Comedian-turned-political-founder Beppe Grillo has filed a formal lawsuit in Rome's civil court, demanding full ownership of the "Movimento 5 Stelle" trademark and symbol—a move that, if successful, would force current president Giuseppe Conte and his parliamentary faction to rebrand entirely ahead of upcoming elections.

Why This Matters:

• First hearing scheduled for July 2026, marking the start of what legal observers predict could be a multi-year court battle costing hundreds of thousands of euros.

• If Grillo wins, the Conte-led M5S would be legally barred from using its current name and five-star logo—forcing a complete political rebrand at a critical moment.

• For voters living in Italy, this could create significant ballot confusion during elections, as the five-star symbol has been the party's identifier for nearly two decades. Voters may struggle to recognize the party under a new name, potentially affecting electoral turnout and representation.

• The dispute underscores deeper fractures within Italy's once-dominant protest movement, now torn between its anti-establishment roots and Conte's shift toward coalition-building with the center-left.

• Meanwhile, the left-wing opposition bloc remains divided over how to select a unified candidate to challenge Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the next general election.

A Founder's Revolt

Grillo's legal claim rests on a 2021 ruling by the Genoa Court of Appeals, which he argues recognized him as the rightful owner of the M5S brand through the original Genoese association he founded in the late 2000s. His lawsuit alleges that the party structure under Conte has violated the founding principles that defined the movement, including strict two-term limits for elected officials and a leaderless, horizontal decision-making model.

Marco Bella, a former M5S parliamentarian and longtime Grillo loyalist, framed the dispute in stark financial terms on social media: "This will be a difficult, long, and complex legal battle—and unfortunately, Beppe will be on the front lines. The very person who founded the Movement, forced once again to pay out of his own pocket. Against someone who has secured millions in public financing. Dignity, however, has no price."

Bella's post urged Conte's faction to "give back the symbol and name" and "make your own logo." But Alfonso Colucci, a deputy in the Conte-led M5S parliamentary group, dismissed the claim as "absolutely unfounded," insisting that "the values, name, and symbol of the Movimento 5 Stelle belong to the community of members—not to any individual, past or present."

The M5S leadership says it will face the lawsuit with "absolute tranquility," confident that Grillo's private agreement in 2017—allegedly pledging not to contest ownership—will hold up in court. But the outcome is far from certain.

What This Means for the Party

Losing the name and logo would be a political earthquake for the M5S. The five-star symbol has been synonymous with Italy's anti-establishment wave since 2009, propelling the party to become the single largest force in parliament in 2018 with 32% of the vote. Stripping that identity would not only erase years of brand equity but also sow confusion among voters—particularly in a country where ballot recognition is decisive for smaller parties.

Organizational consequences would be severe. The party would need to:

• Amend its statutes, which explicitly reference the current name and symbol.

• Rebrand all communications, from campaign materials to social media profiles, at significant cost.

• Reorient regional and municipal chapters, many of which operate under the five-star banner.

• Navigate potential electoral chaos, especially if the case drags through appeals and coincides with national or European elections.

Legal experts note that Italian courts have applied dual protections to political party symbols: as expressions of personality rights under Article 7 of the Civil Code, and as de facto trademarks when parties engage in commercial activity like merchandising or paid media. A 2020 Supreme Court ruling affirmed that political associations, even if unrecognized legal entities, can claim damages for misuse of their identifying marks. A 2021 Rome tribunal decision in the case of Partito Liberale Italiano vs. Partito Liberale Europeo ordered immediate cessation of a confusingly similar logo, setting a precedent Grillo's lawyers are likely to cite.

The Price of Legal War

Civil litigation in Italy is notoriously slow and expensive. Legal cases typically extend over years through multiple judicial levels, with first-instance proceedings often lasting one to three years or longer for complex disputes. The total duration through all three judicial levels—trial court, appeals court, and final cassation—can stretch considerably depending on case complexity and caseload.

Cost considerations for a case of this political magnitude include:

• Unified court contribution fees: which vary depending on the disputed value and legal claims involved.

• Legal fees: For a high-stakes, high-profile political dispute of this nature, attorney costs represent a substantial investment across multiple judicial levels.

• Expert witness and technical consultancy fees, if the court orders them.

• Costs of defeat: Italy's "loser pays" rule means the losing side could be liable for the opponent's legal expenses.

Grillo, now estranged from the party he created, will reportedly finance the lawsuit personally. The M5S, by contrast, benefits from public party funding—a system Grillo himself once railed against.

Left Divided on Leadership Race

While the M5S battles internal demons, Italy's broader center-left opposition remains fractured over how to choose a leader capable of challenging Meloni's right-wing government in the next election. Conte, buoyed by a recent internal referendum that rejected reforms aimed at sidelining Grillo, has proposed open primaries—including online voting, a hallmark of M5S tradition.

But enthusiasm is uneven. Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra (AVS), the Green-Left coalition, is lukewarm. Nicola Fratoianni of AVS told reporters that primaries are "not the most urgent issue" and questioned whether young voters—who overwhelmingly supported the No vote in the M5S referendum—are clamoring for a leadership contest. European parliamentarian Ilaria Salis was blunt: "They are absolutely not necessary." She added that if forced to choose, she would prefer Elly Schlein, leader of the Democratic Party (PD), over Conte.

Schlein has signaled willingness to compete in primaries but echoed her party's line: programmatic unity must come first. "We shouldn't put the cart before the horse," said Marco Sarracino, a PD deputy. "Everything depends on building a coalition program—on wages, healthcare, schools, transport, housing. Those are the real priorities. Then we have two options: under the current electoral law, the party that wins one more vote picks the prime minister. If the law changes, we have the tool of open primaries."

A third scenario—dubbed the "foreign pope" solution—has been floated by figures like Rosy Bindi and Genoa mayor Silvia Salis: an agreement on a neutral third candidate who could unify the fragmented left. But that would require both Conte and Schlein to step aside, a prospect neither appears willing to entertain.

Conte, meanwhile, has framed the debate in populist terms: "The old top-down method of backroom deals is outdated. The referendum tells us that people, especially young people, want a say. Ignoring them would be a mistake."

Even Clemente Mastella, the veteran centrist mayor of Benevento and former justice minister, jokingly threw his hat in the ring: "I wouldn't do primaries—but if they happen, I could run too. Why not? We need someone from the center."

The Road Ahead

For Grillo and Conte, the July hearing is just the opening salvo. Legal experts describe the case as having "uncertain outcomes," hinging on interpretation of Grillo's founding role, the 2017 internal agreements, and whether the party under Conte constitutes a legal successor or a new entity. A ruling either way will likely be appealed, potentially prolonging the fight through multiple judicial levels.

In the meantime, the M5S must operate under a cloud of legal uncertainty—an awkward posture for a party trying to position itself as a credible governing force. For Italians following political developments, the spectacle of the movement's founder and former leader battling in court over brand ownership reflects the broader challenges facing a party navigating transition from protest movement to established political force.