Intellectual Property & Competition

We provide legal assistance with patents and utility models, trademarks, designs, software and databases, know-how and trade secrets, domain names, geographic indications and appellations and copyright.

We also have extensive experience in litigating issues involving unfair competition, ranging from slavish imitation, passing off, appropriation of competitor’s qualities and lookalike, denigration, employee poaching, misappropriation of trade secrets and parasitical competition.

We represent our clients in civil and criminal courts in Italy and the EU, including the Court of Justice and the EUIPO, as well as in alternative dispute resolution venues such as Arbitration Panels, the Italian Design Jury and Advertising Jury. We assist our clients also before the central, local and regional divisions of the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

Our global reach allows us to take on cross-border litigation.

Outside the courtroom, we help our clients to develop and protect their intellectual property rights. We provide preliminary opinions to our clients and represent them in negotiating and preparing contracts (such as licensing, confidentiality, technology transfer and cooperation agreements), as well as administrative procedures to secure IP-related tax benefits (such as the “Patent Box”) and to prevent the introduction of counterfeit products into Italy and Europe (customs surveillance).

In the domain of advertising, commercial communications and unfair commercial practices, we draft preliminary opinions on product packaging and advertisement spots and campaigns to verify their compliance with advertising and competition regulations.

Our Intellectual Property services also cover commissioned inventions, employee inventions and the related issue of fair reward.