The Legal 500 > Europe, Middle East & Africa > Italy > Intellectual property

BonelliErede's IP practice revolves around practice head and Giovanni Guglielmetti and partner Tommaso Faelli. The duo, backed up by a team of seven associates, are active in fields including trade secrets, unfair competition and patent protection - both from a transactional and contentious perspective. Faelli brings additional expertise in IT and data protection, advising on open data and privacy regulation, while Guglielmetti has a focus on healthcare and life sciences, luxury and sports.

Bresner Cammareri Intellectual Property – BCIP was founded in April 2018 by IP experts Davide Bresner and Emanuele Cammareri. Their team, which comprises five more lawyers, handles Italian and European trademark and design law (covering filings, prosecutions, negotiations, licences and agreements) as well as anti-counterfeiting strategies and enforcement. The firm's client portfolio includes both SMEs (especially in the technology and healthcare sectors) and high-profile international clients, including many luxury and fashion businesses.

Carnelutti Studio Legale Associato's IP offering is led by the 'excellent' Margherita Barié, an expert adviser and litigator for patent and trademark infringement, unfair competition and copyright-related matters. Her clients come from industries including beauty, education, food and fashion industries. Mark Bosshard joined the firm as of counsel in February 2019.

CBA Studio Legale e Tributario's IP and IT team, which is spread across the firm's Padua, Milan and Munich offices, is coordinated by Mattia Dalla Costa, who advises clients from both jurisdictions. His cross-border Italian and German expertise has helped him earn a reputation for being innovative and 'very open minded.' In the two Italian offices, he is supported by Barbara Sartori. The majority of the firm's clients are international players with business interests in the Italian automotive, defence and aerospace sectors, seeking assistance in both 'soft IP' (franchising, due diligence, design), and 'hard IP' (trademarks, patent litigation).

Full-service firm De Berti Jacchia Franchini Forlani has a strong record of work on patent disputes for clients in the pharmaceutical industry, and has particular expertise in conflict prevention strategies. The department is praised for being 'very thorough on patent matters.' Co-founding partner Roberto A. Jacchia, who is based in Milan, works with litigator and life sciences expert David Maria Santoro in Rome, who deals with product liability issues for pharma companies. The team, which also has clients in the luxury space, has an established relationship with the Russian IP law firm YUS.

Deloitte Legal Italy - Società tra Avvocati a r.l. launched an Italy IP department with the hire of Withers Studio Legale IP and techonology head Ida Palombella in July 2018. With fashion and luxury being her main focus, she is well-regarded by colleagues, clients and high-end brands alike. Her team, which includes key figure Federica Caretta, assist her in trademark counterfeiting actions, trusts, negotiations and infringements.

The practice at Gianni & Origoni, which advises both domestic and international clients on the full range of IP matters, has a strong and growing reputation for its work for high-profile clients across the sport, leisure and fashion, media and art sectors. The Milan-based Nino Di Bella is head of the IP, IT and e-commerce department; his team is involved not only in trademarks, copyright, advertising and unfair competition, but also software-related matters, new technologies and cybersecurity. In Rome, Massimo Sterpi handles both contentious and non-contentious matters and has a particular specialism in art law.

Herbert Smith Freehills made significant inroads in the Italian IP and life sciences markets in early 2018 with the hire of the highly regarded Laura Orlando, who joined as EMEA life sciences co-head. She and her 'trustworthy, pragmatic and innovative' team handle a broad range of matters including trademarks, copyrights, patents and licensing for clients across the technology, media, industrials and, notably, the life sciences sector. The practice, which draws on the firm's strong international capacities, is also recognized for its work on large patent litigation cases.

Milan-based boutique IP Law Galli is active across the full spectrum of IP matters for an impressive list of Italian and international clients, advising on strategies, contracts and M&A  as well as handling trademark, advertising and copyright disputes. The firm has a particular focus on the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, especially in relation to patent litigation - a principal focus of both firm founder Cesare Galli and practice co-head Mariangela Bogni. Galli is recommended for his 'distinguished assistance' and 'impressive experience'.

Fabrizio Jacobacci is founding partner of specialist intellectual property law firm Jacobacci, which has offices in Turin, Milan, Rome, Paris and Madrid. He specializes in competition and IP law and leads his team in patent and trademark litigation cases, design and anti-counterfeiting actions. The firm has special desks dedicated to Russia and Latin America.

LCA Studio Legale's team, which is led by Gianluca De Cristofaro, handles a range of IP matters encompassing design infringement and unfair competition, the drafting and negotiation of IP-related and licence agreements as well as marketing and promotional campaigns. The firm, which has a focus on innovation and technology, offers a blockchain-based service for the management and protection of trademarks.

Legance - Avvocati Associati's IP department is now co-led by Paolo Marzano and former Clifford Chance Italy IP head Monica Riva, who was one of a number of new additions to the team during 2019. The recent hires have significantly strengthened the firm's offering, which now covers patents, trademarks, copyright, design, know-how and trade secrets, unfair competition and misleading advertising as well as IT, e-commerce and franchise matters.

LGV Avvocati Studio Legale's IP department deals with a wide and varied portfolio of work relating to patents and trademarks, copyright and design matters, among others. Founding partners Simona Lavagnini and Luigi Goglia work together with Tankred Thiem and Margherita Stucchi on niche matters such as copyright applied to new technologies (including impressive disputes before the Italian Supreme Court representing global web services companies), as well as lobbying (for example in the e-sports and videogame industry) and advertising.

Specialising in trademarks, copyright issues and patents, Martini Manna Avvocati's IP department handles both contentious and non-contentious work across sectors including automotive, consumer products and new media. The lawyers in the team are also well versed in TMT matters and assist, among others, online platforms with licence agreements or anti-piracy strategies. Luigi Manna and Elena Martini are the key lawyers.

With combined experience in entertainment law - covering cinema, TV, advertising, internet and new media - and intellectual and industrial property, milalegal - Mina Lanfranconi & Associati is a firm of choice for media companies, research centres, fashion and luxury brands, as well as other law firms seeking IP advice. Founding partners Elisabetta Mina and Marina Lanfranconi lead the practice, which handles the management and protection of trademark portfolios, as well as IP issues deriving from M&A transactions, and which was recently joined by five newcomers at associate level.

Mondini Rusconi Studio Legale boasts a well-established team of IP experts with a strong focus on copyright matters. The team assists companies in the food, music, telecommunications and media space (including the Italian national broadcasting service), in cases of patent infringement, trademark litigation and advertising campaigns. Practice head Giorgio Mondini represents large Italian players and works for foreign media companies in transactional and contentious work, while Giacomo Bonelli also covers antitrust and new technologies.

The team at Nctm Studio Legale has expertise in a wide variety of IP matters. The practice is co-led by Paolo Lazzarino, who covers matters ranging from intellectual and industrial property to unfair competition, IT and e-commerce issues. Co-head Lorenzo Attolico deals with mark registration, labelling and advertising as well as trademark enforcement, both contentious and non-contentious, for clients in the fashion, energy, and new technology and virtual reality industries.

The team at Orsingher Ortu – Avvocati Associati is particularly active in the media space, advising prestigious clients in the entertainment industry, as well as luxury businesses in the automotive and fashion sectors. Brand protection, design, copyright as well as piracy and anti-counterfeiting activities are among the key areas of focus for the department, which is led by firm founder Matteo Orsingher. He works in tandem with Fabrizio Sanna, who co-founded the firm with Orsingher in 2007 as a boutique focusing on IP and TMT matters; it has since expanded to cover a range of other practice areas, and co-operates with a network of trusted independent firms in other jurisdictions around Europe and the US.

Osborne Clarke's IP team is led by Federico Ferrara, who has specialist experience in the music and entertainment industry. In particular, clients turn to him and his team for advice on trademark and copyright disputes, licensing agreements and testimonial contracts. The department also has expertise in the sports sector.

The Milan-based practice at Pavia e Ansaldo handles an impressive range of patent litigation, copyright infringement and trade secrets matters for life sciences giants, pharmaceutical groups and high-profile international fashion brands. Gian Paolo Di Santo, recognised across the board for his extensive expertise, leads a team of four lawyers that is well regarded for its 'high expertise and professionalism.'

Tornato Prado Avvocati is the result of a merger between two longstanding intellectual and industrial property practices, Tornato Avvocati and Prado&Prado, with the combined firm's expertise covering patent filing and protection (including ownership and infringement litigation), unfair competition, trademarks and digital business models. Practice head Alberto Tornato is praised for his 'outstanding knowledge' of IP litigation procedures, both in Italian and European courts.

Trevisan & Cuonzo receives high praise as a boutique with 'considerable' experience in life sciences patent litigation and for its knowledge of the Italian healthcare system, which allows the team to provide sector-specific and commercially relevant patent litigation assistance. The firm's lawyers advise on cases involving trade secrets, unfair competition, patent infringement or revocation matters. Co-founder Gabriel Cuonzo has decades of court experience and enjoys a 'strong reputation', while fellow co-founder Luca Trevisan is a 'seasoned star.' Julia Holden is jointly qualified as an English solicitor and Italian attorney, while Giulia Affer is also well regarded.