Industrial, intellectual property and competition law
Studio Maffei Alberti e Associati has extensive experience and expertise in providing advice and assistance, both in and out of court, aimed at enhancing and protecting the industrial and intellectual property rights of its clients and their position in the market, also acting in defence of fair competition between businesses and truth-in-advertising rules.
Making use of its strong network of technical professionals operating in various industries, the Firm is able to assist its clients with all aspects of industrial property rights, from registration to assignment, from contractual negotiation to the monitoring of online counterfeiting.
The Firm offers advice on:
– national, European and international trademarks;
– trade names and logos;
– domain names;
– protected geographical indications and protected designations of origin;
It assists clients in the preparation and negotiation of commercial agreements, including coexistence agreements, transfer and licensing agreements, or franchise and merchandising agreements, as well as in the protection of industrial property rights and of “Made in Italy” products, especially in the food and fashion sectors.
Protection of registered and unregistered designs and models, especially in the fashion and luxury goods industries.
The Firm’s consultancy and assistance services cover all legal aspects of the innovation sector, with particular regard to:
– invention patents;
– biotech inventions;
– utility models;
– know-how and trade secrets;
– new plant varieties and green innovation;
It provides advice to support the most effective economic exploitation and protection of such inventions.
Studio Maffei Alberti e Associati also has specific expertise in the field of research and development agreements, as well as in the establishment of innovative start-ups and spin-offs and the joint management of IP rights arising from research.
The Firm offers support in the field of protection of fair competition between businesses, especially against phenomena such as look-alike products, slavish imitations, unfair competition through “misleading” practices, employee poaching and, in general, all other unfair business practices. It also takes action, on behalf of its clients, against the dissemination of incorrect and misleading commercial messages, both in court and before the Italian advertising regulator (Giurì per l’Autodisciplina Pubblicitaria).
The Firm has outstanding experience in the field of IT and new technologies, in particular with regard to issues concerning e-commerce and the responsibility of Internet service providers, as well as the new frontiers of blockchain technology and smart contracts.
The Firm assists clients in the enhancement and protection of creative works, in all areas covered by copyright, from the literary, musical, theatrical, architectural, cinematographic and figurative arts, to software, databases and design works. It advises clients on how to best manage relations between authors, publishers, collecting societies and users and on how to protect the author’s economic and moral rights in court.