Known for its ‘great engagement and communication with clients’, DLA Piper continues to influence the IP market. Gualtiero Dragotti, supported by Laura Gastaldi, leads work on anti-counterfeiting policies and cross-border disputes. Elena Varese, supported by Valentina Mazza, handles copyright infringement proceedings, AI-related licence agreements, and image-rights disputes for luxury clients in the automotive, fashion, and internet services sectors. Roberto Valenti advises on trade secrets, patent disputes and IP issues in the pharma and life sciences sector, including concerning observational research and medical devices. Ginevra Righini focuses on trade mark protection, enforcement, and disputes across the food and beverage, fashion, and electronics sectors. Giulio Coraggio leads the practice.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Accolades
Client satisfaction: Lawyer & team quality
Client satisfaction: Billing & efficiency
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Client satisfaction: NPS ®
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Elena Varese is an outstanding lawyer with several competencies and great availability. She always tries to find the right solutions for the business. Valentina Mazza is very professional and competent. Both of them always provide support in a very timely manner.'
- ‘Open-minded collaboration, dedicated valued time, experts in most of our niche topics.’
- ‘Elena Varese consistently exhibits a remarkable aptitude for swiftly understanding the key aspects of complex matters. Her legal opinions are not only thorough and well-reasoned but also clearly aligned with business objectives, ensuring they effectively address the client’s specific needs and strategic goals. Her ability to balance legal precision with practical commercial considerations makes her an invaluable partner in providing actionable and client-focused advice.’
- ‘Great engagement and communication with clients, strong expertise, appropriate resourcing.’
- ‘We work with law firms in basically every EMEA country, from boutique firms to big firms, but DLA Italy is my favourite team to work with. They are very knowledgeable, nuanced advisers, sharp litigators and overall just great people to work with. They handle several big litigations for us, with lots of complexities too. Communication is always clear and most of all not too long, but just to the point.’
- ‘Elena Varese is always available with a big smile and insightful advice. Valentina Mazza is just as gracious as Elena. She's very hands-on and quick. Elena and Valentina are my favourite sparring partners. They both are highly recommended!’
- ‘DLA Piper arrived at a quick solution, avoiding litigation and its costs.’
- ‘Ginevra Righini assisted me in my case. I was expecting a complex legal battle, but thanks to her solid common sense and experience, everything was quickly solved in an extrajudicial manner. Ginevra's knowledge in trade mark disputes proved to be the key to this quick success.’
Key clients
- Alpinestars
- Arnoldo Mondadori
- Lutech Technology
- Automobili Lamborghini
- Comité Champagne
- Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma
- Converse
- Energy Dome
- FAI - Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano
- Elisabetta Dami – International Charachters
- JBS – Seara Alimentos
- Michael Page
- Nikon
- Pernod Ricard
- Telepass
- Wind Tre
- Zambon
- Zegna
- Zwilling
Work highlights
Represented Alpinestars in a patent dispute initiated by Dainese before the Unified Patent Court, Milan Local Division.
Advised the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne and the Institut National de l’Origine et de la Qualité in securing a judgement on the protection of geographical indications and their delicate interplay with trade marks before the EU General Court.
Assisted Zegna in the overall strategy of protecting the iconic triple-stitch motif (a non-traditional trade mark) included in its men's shoes.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
Giulio Coraggio
Other key lawyers
Gualtiero Dragotti; Roberto Valenti; Ginevra Righini; Elena Varese; Laura Gastaldi; Valentina Mazza