IP & FRAND
Smart, experienced lawyers with good commercial sense
as well as IP expertise.
Our antitrust team has received international recognition for handling matters at the interface between antitrust law and intellectual property rights, particularly in highly innovative markets. Over the past 15 years, we have worked on many high profile cases for a broad variety of clients. Most of these cases have become leading cases in Italy, setting the standard for various FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non Discriminatory) related abuses and for SEP based injunctions in Italy prior to the leading decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Huawei v. ZTE.
Thanks to our focus on technological sectors, our antitrust team has unmatched capability to address technically complex issues at the intersection between antitrust law and intellectual property rights.
We are also regularly active in advising clients in the context of technology and IP licensing, including the application of the R&D and TT Block Exemptions.
Vittorio Cerulli Irelli, head of our antitrust practice, together with Virginia Bellucci are co-authors of a new Italian Language publication “Antitrust e Proprietà Intellettuale” edited by Wolters Kluwer, the first fully comprehensive analysis in Italian on the intersect between IPRs and competition law in Italy.
Recent notable cases:
Representing one of the world leaders in the smartphone market in a complex multifaceted FRAND litigation, coordinating litigation and antitrust filings in multiple jurisdictions
Advising multiple clients in the pharmaceutical sector in licensing negotiations in highly concentrated markets
Assisting multiple clients in developing FRAND methodologies in relation to multiple standards and portfolios