Antonio Ricci, Ezio Greggio, Enzo Iacchetti, Gerry Scotti and the correspondent Antonio Montanari (aka Mago Casanova) have been officially charged by the Monza public prosecutor's office with serious libel against Claudio Baglioni. The controversy that has pitted the Roman songwriter against the satirical news program on Canale 5 for years now ends Court. The judges will be tasked with determining whether, as reported by Claudio BaglioniAntonio Ricci – as author of Striscia – and the other people cited by the prosecution have either or not defamed the singer-songwriter over the years.
The facts that led to the trial
The accusation is at the center of the legal dispute plagiarism which Striscia la Notistica has addressed to Claudio Baglioni for years. The satirical news program repeatedly featured sarcastic and mocking reports about the lyrics of his songs featuring the Roman songwriter, and Ricci even published an e-book, downloadable on the program's website – which gave specific examples of plagiarism. In “Tutti poeti con Claudio. “Essential dispensation for the modern poet”, the title of the book, Ricci claimed that he claimed that Baglioni “without disclosing it” had “copied the texts of many of his works” songs, phrases and expressions used by poets, writers and other authors.” In the numerous reports that Striscia has sent about the Roman artist, the tones have always been like this sarcastic and often in the words used to refer to the artist his alleged plagiarists were described as “clever, copycat forgotten”, while Baglioni is considered a “forgetful, distracted person”.
The foreword of the book
The volume was confiscated by the investigating judge of the Monza court in June 2022 at the request of the musician's lawyers, lawyers Gabriele Minniti and Andrea Pietrolucci, but some excerpts are still visible online. In it we read: “This is a collaborative effort created by many.” Reports Come to the satirical news about all the poets and writers who, without their knowledge, collaborated on the texts of Claudio Baglioni: from Pier Paolo Pasolini to Cesare Pavese, from Mark Twain to Emily Dickinson, from Oscar Wilde to Francis Scott Fitzgerald, from Franz Kafka to Jacques Prévert and many others. And it doesn't end here. In addition to the lyrics, the divine Claudio Baglioni also put together the melodies of some songs and several reworked gags that were performed on the stage of the Ariston Theater in Sanremo. Very serious allegations that ended up on the jury's table.
The first hearing of the trial
The trial officially opens January 2025, in front of Monza judge Roberta Russo. In addition to Antonio Ricci as the author of Striscia la NOTEIA, the hosts Scotti, Greggio, Iacchetti and the magician Casanova are also held responsible because, as Baglioni's lawyers report, they took part in the alleged “defamation campaign”.