Press release of April 10th, 2002

Following our complaint (12/24/01) to the deceptive advertising office of the Antitrust Authority regarding the telepromotion of " Striscia the Notizia" of Bach flowers (01/18-20/2001) AGAINST EXCIDING KILOS, CELLULITIS etc., the Antitrust started a proceeding (PI/3725) with a precise request of "studies and scientific researches on "Bach flowers".
It is contraddictory, if not hypocritical, that, within a month from the Wanna Marchi episode (11/28/01), "Striscia la Notizia" advertised products largely used and sold by "operators of the occultism" as potions with amazing powers, while they actually have the same "power" as the salt and ivy sold by the "magician" Do Naisimento.
What emerged from the pre-trial phase of the Antitrust proceeding:
1) one of the companies behind the advertising message of the Bach flowers, the M.D. srl, manages the MARIA DUVAL mark, self-styled "medium", who for more than six years has sent menacing letters at hundreds of thousands of Italian families to extort money, without the authorities moving a finger. The case concerns a few companies born in Italy, liquidated and then reconstituted to escape to the controls (exactly as Wanna Marchi) and subsequently widened in France, UK etc.
2) another company, IBS srl, has already been sentenced several times (as the M.D) for deceptive advertising (see here: www.agcm.it).
After our complaint, "Striscia" said (in a press-release) that they would have investigated too. The televiewers are still waiting. Evidently the the contractual relationships with quacks create embarrassment: above all, to who, while pretending in front of the public opinion to side with the citizens, finds out (investigating on himself) to have taken part in a fraud.

All this confirms, once more, that publishers and advertising agencies are the first responsible for the increase of the frauds of the quacks through the media, damaging of the weakest people: the State does not have any interest to protect them, because it takes part in the profits.
If Antonio Ricci was a serious person, it would do a serious investigation, without fear of anyone: neither of the Prime Minister. Wanna Marchi is only the tip the iceberg... by the way, we wonder why "Striscia" refuses a videotape, that we offer to any interested journalist, in which is shown that the first complaints on Wanna Marchi & c. are dated 1992! To hide that they were not the first? To "cover" the authorities which silted up everything? Or just because they are only interested in the audience, and not in the victims of the quacks?

You have the choice. We have the evidence.

www.antiplagio.org - antiplagio@antiplagio.org