The firm: Gallavotti Bernardini & Partners has established a core practice in media, entertainment and sports, communication and information technology, and related intellectual and industrial property matters, offering advice on related mergers and acquisitions, corporate and commercial transnational transactions. It also offers advice in the areas of real estate, renewable energies, aviation and aerospace, and labour, as well as arbitration and litigation, primarily in these industries/sectors.
The firm for many years ran an office in Los Angeles, where it maintains ongoing relations, and has developed far-reaching relationships with prominent international law firms in many other countries and with specific regard to the UK and the Middle East.
Originally formed by a few lawyers, it has grown in size in terms of clients, revenues, lawyers, of counsel and best friendships with other firms, based on long-term vision, creativity and flexibility, envisaged to pursue broad targets, durable personal and professional relationships, new perspectives, flexibility of fees and utmost attention to clients’ needs, making the best choices and building trust.
GBP has a significant and long-lasting track record of clients and transactions in entertainment, media and sport matters with regard to the two named partners.
Mario Gallavotti is a very well established figure on the Italian legal scene, as well as in Europe and the Middle East, especially for entertainment and sports matters. He is a prominent advisor of many leading entertainment companies and associations, as well as of many sport institutions, federations and associations in Italy and abroad, including the Middle East, where he founded The Sports Law Group (TSLG) with local partners in the Middle East area.
Antonio Bernardini, who is admitted to practice in Italy, New York and the UK, was the former head of legal and general counsel in primary Italian and international media and telecoms groups, and achieved a strong reputation advising many multinational companies in various industries, mainly focused on media and communications, offering a unique combination of private practice and in-house counsel experience at the international level.
Areas of practice: The firm’s core practice areas are media, entertainment, sports, IT and communication, and intellectual and industrial property matters.
The firm regularly works with some of the largest entertainment business operators, assisting them with the legal aspects of the acquisition and sale of film and TV rights, leases, the protection and economic exploitation of copyright issues, production and distribution agreements, purchasing agreements, licensing agreements, as well as with the negotiation and drafting of agreements with actors, directors, publishers, producers and distributors – all of this at both the national and international level.
The firm’s sports practice provides a full range of services related to the professional sports industry, specialising in the area where sport, media, name and likeness rights, licensing, and privacy issues converge, and all aspects of claims and disputes related to sports issues, regularly representing sport federations, leagues, associations, clubs and athletes before national and international sport courts, including arbitral tribunals.
The firm assists a wide range of businesses in the IT and communications industry with the navigation of complex regulatory, corporate and commercial legal issues. This knowledge derives from direct experience advising on the start-up and development of terrestrial, cable, satellite and internet communication projects, related technologies, means and method of exploitation of voice, data, content and the like.
Number of lawyers : 11
at this office : 9
English
French
Italian
Other offices : Milan
A legal boutique with leadership in the media, entertainment, technology and sport sectors, considerable international experience, transversal skills in commercial and administrative law, as well as corporate and regulatory profiles, which allow an effective and versatile approach, including on new technologies and digital issues, intellectual property and data protection, as well as related sectors or activities such as real estate and renewable energy.
The lawyers of the Firm have also perfected their skills abroad, in international networks or primary groups, or in the public sector as internal organs of the government and, although they operate according to the best international standards and practices, they maintain and promote a client relationship- bespoke professional, characteristic of a boutique company.
The main feature of the Firm is the capability of identifying the best solutions to combine the needs of international operators with the logic and specificities of the Italian market, translating international practices into the national context.
Our main objectives and values are the combination of specialization and overall knowledge and vision of the market, long-term trust with clients, application and synthesis of national and international best practices, creativity and concrete solutions, flexibility and empathy to fully meet the needs and expectations of our clients.
Media, entertainment & technology
Our professionals have participated in many key and strategic transactions, at national and international level, in the audiovisual/entertainment sector and have worked with Italian, European, American, Asian and Middle Eastern clients, already consolidated or in the start-up phase, obtaining reputation and fairly extensive experiences.
The Firm has considerable knowledge of the national and international issues and needs of digital platforms, producers, distributors, authors, actors, talents and related trade associations, as well as of national and international bodies operating in the management of copyright and related rights, offering a synthesis of commercial, administrative, regulatory and judicial experiences and skills, practical also to accept development opportunities, mediation needs and solutions to complex problems.
Our lawyers are particularly experienced in national and international negotiations and agreements for the acquisition, sale and exploitation of rights, production and distribution of contents, enhancement of rights and protection of intellectual property. They deal with legal, regulatory and contractual developments in the exploitation of digital technologies and linear and non-linear transmission media, artificial intelligence systems for data collection and analysis, as well as related regulatory issues, with particular experience in related needs related to data protection.
They consistently participate in regulatory monitoring activities, and provide their support to new regulatory measures and initiatives with the most representative associations and / or operators of the sector. They assist the entire supply chain of the audiovisual / entertainment sector in identifying, finding and exploiting resources for the development, production and distribution of both Italian and foreign projects.
Sport
The activity of the Firm in the sports sector represents an excellence in the national and international scene for the peculiar ability of synthesis that the lawyers of the Firm are able to offer to their clients in terms of sports regulation and litigation, exploitation of image rights, licensing and sponsorship deals, or in the organization of major international sporting events.
Our lawyers, in fact, assist and regularly represent federations, confederations, leagues, clubs, agents and athletes before national and international courts and arbitration bodies, as well as in the drafting of commercial contracts and are members of dispute resolution bodies and committees of federations and confederations of the football sector.
The Firm has assisted clients of the sports sector in the organization of national and international competitions and events, the management of related media rights, licensing and sponsorship deals, transfer agreements, investments and financing for clubs and sport facilities.
The clients of the Firm can benefit by the cross-cutting skills and knowledge of our lawyers in the media, entertainment, technology and sport industries, and therefore the added value in terms of team work and vision of context, steadily oriented to solutions aimed to optimize best practices and the evolution of related sectors.
Regulatory & Public administration
We assist our clients on a wide range of commercial and regulatory matters before independent authorities and other public offices and/or administrations, and we are organized to provide integrated advice and assistance in public commercial law, a matter of “contact” between public/administrative and commercial/corporate law.
Our lawyers regularly deal with activities and procedures before the Competition, Communication and Data Protection Authorities, and assist several major operators or associations in public consultations, as well as in procedures for new regulations and laws, offering their own contribution mainly with reference to new rights, means and technologies of communication and exploitation, new digital platforms, with national and international commercial and regulatory implications.
The Firm also specializes in energy law and in the regulation of the gas and electricity markets, from renewable and non-renewable sources, as well as in the regulation of local public services and environment, in particular in the integrated urban waste management service, taking care of and managing, on behalf of qualified operators, the relations with independent authorities, as well as the project development, building and management of related facilities.
In the litigation field, we provide qualified representation and assistance in proceedings before the ordinary, administrative and accounting courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings.
Commercial & Corporate
Our lawyers regularly assist their clients in civil and commercial contractual aspects, as well as in the corporate governance requirements of national and international companies and groups, joint ventures, dealing with the acquisition, merger operations or sale of companies or individual assets.
The organization of the Firm is designed to provide clients with advice and assistance on all matters related to the management and operation of companies and to complex requirements of national and international corporate governance. The Firm’s clients can benefit from the experience acquired by the Firm’s professionals in complicated operations of international magnitude – even through the operation of an office in Los Angeles for many years and the activity within primary international groups or networks – to obtain rapid and effective integration and synthesis between models or group policies and commercial, contractual or corporate needs.
Head of Team : Antonio Bernardini
Head of Team : Mario Gallavotti
Partners : 9
English
French
Italian
A legal boutique with leadership in the media, entertainment, technology and sports sectors, notable international experience, cross-cutting skills in commercial and administrative law, as well as corporate and regulatory profiles, which allow an effective and versatile approach, also on new technological and digital issues, of intellectual property and data protection, as well as on related sectors or activities such as real estate and renewable energy.
The lawyers of the firm have perfected their skills also abroad, in international networks or primary groups, or in the public sector as in-house of Governmental bodies and, although they work according to the best international standards and practices, they maintain and promote a tailor-made client-professional relationship, distinctive of a boutique firm.
The main feature of the firm is the capability of identifying the best solutions to combine the needs of international operators with the logic and specificities of the Italian market, translating international practices into the national context.
Our main objectives and values are the combination of specialization and overall knowledge and vision of the market, long-term trust with clients, application and synthesis of national and international best practices, creativity and concrete solutions, flexibility and empathy to fully meet the needs and expectations of our clients.
Telecoms/media/technology: GBP regularly works with some of the largest media players for development and production of movies, TV series, documentaries and clips, protection of related copyright matters, as well as with the negotiation and drafting of agreements with authors, actors and directors, both the national and international level.
GBP also provides legal advice on financing for film, theatre and multi-media productions, representing lenders, producers and distributors, in production and co-production agreements, sale and lease-back transactions, and other funding tools. The firm also provides assistance with the negotiation and drafting of agreements with advertising agencies, publicity sponsorships and telesales, including production placement in motion pictures or television products.
The firm has been historically advising clients on the edge of conversion from analogue to digital communications and related M&A, regulatory, labour, commercial and operational issues.
On the technology side, GBP has extensive national and international experience with the legal aspects of acquisition and distribution of IP rights for all types of channels and transmission media, means and types of devices, through linear and non-linear, apps and social media.
GBP advise its media, communications and entertainment clients on licensing on a worldwide basis. This extends to licensing and merchandising, compensation claims, copyrights, litigation, settlement agreements.
Communications and technology: GBP assists a wide range of businesses in the digital industry with the navigation of complex regulatory, corporate and commercial legal issues. The knowledge comes from direct experience advising on the start-up and development of new media, technology and communication projects.
GBP offers a full range of assistance on contractual matters related to acquisition, development and exploitation of IP, Know-How and related technologies, investments, protection, exploitation and licensing.
The firm’s professionals assist numerous organisations and companies on various matters relating to innovation, research, developments and acquisition of software and design, engineering projects, life sciences, communications platforms and multi-media projects.
The firm provides advice for privacy issues and cybersecurity matters, and is involved in IP, commercial and business development agreements into innovation and technology, including clinical research, pharma and life sciences sectors.
Sports: GBP sports practice provides a full range of services related to the professional sports’ industry. The firm counsels clients on a wide variety of sport related matters, specialising in the area where sport, media, name and likeness rights, licensing, and privacy is- sues converge.
The firm is particularly experienced in providing advice to media companies involved in the radio- television rights whose activity interlaces with sport related matters. In addition, the firm regularly advises sport sponsoring companies and enterprises whose goal is the exploitation of brands, name and likeness.
The firm is also experienced in all aspects of claims and disputes related to sports issues, regularly representing sport federations, leagues, associations, clubs, athletes, before of national and international sport courts, including arbitrate jurisdictions.
The firm has a wealth of experience advising clients on a wide range of sports related matters, such as public tenders and the organisation of national and international sporting events, contracts, transfers of athletes, financing and investments in the sports sector as well as with name and likeness rights, licensing, merchandising and privacy issues.
GBP advises individual athletes, clubs and professional sports federations on all aspects, including disputes, related to sports issues before national and international sport courts. GBP professionals are currently active members of professional sports arbitration committees.
Italian
English
French
Spanish
