Italy fines six companies over 2026 Winter Olympic Games 'ambush marketing'

MILAN, July 17 (Reuters) - Italy's competition authority said on Friday it had fined six companies around €2.5 million ($2.9 million) in total for so-called ambush marketing linked to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, after finding they had misled customers over their sponsorship status.

• The companies fined are fashion brand Harmont & Blaine, supermarket chains Il Gigante, MD, Oasi and Pro7, and gas supplier ButanGas, the AGCM authority said.

• It said an investigation established that they ran advertising campaigns using Olympic symbols, including the five rings, and official names such as "Milano-Cortina 2026" without holding sponsorship rights.

• The six companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• Ambush marketing is the act of setting up advertising campaigns associating the company with a team, league or event without paying for the privilege.

• The investigation was opened in January after monitoring by the Guardia di Finanza's Special Antitrust Unit.

• The campaigns ran during the Winter Olympic Games period, when the association with the event carries the greatest commercial value, the AGCM said.

($1 = 0.8736 euros)

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)