Recent GDPR Developments in Italy
Can we say that Italy took the new privacy rules set out in GDPR seriously?
Italian businesses have carried out many preparatory activities in view of 25 May 2018, the date of full applicability of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation No. 679/2016 (“GDPR”): a large number of privacy
With a judgement dated 26 April 2018, the General Court of the EU held that the famous Argentinian football player – and multiple Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Andrès Messi, could register his mark ‘MESSI’ for sports and gymnastics clothing, footwear and equipment notwithstanding the opposition by the owner of a highly similar earlier sign “MASSI”
The CJEU has just confirmed that the concerted provision of misleading information about product safety can constitute a restriction by object under Article 101(1) TFEU, when it is intended to reduce the competitive pressure resulting from an alternative medicinal product (Case C-179/16, F. Hoffmann-La Roche and Others v Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato).
Continue Reading Breaking news: CJEU ruling in Hoffmann-La Roche published on 23 January
On 29 November Italy’s Antitrust Authority launched non-compliance proceedings against Ryanair, the Irish air line for alleged unfair commercial practices and breach of the Italian Consumer Code.
Following the spate of flight cancellations, on 25 October the Rome Administrative Court (TAR), ordered Ryanair to provide information to its passengers – either through easily accessible procedures
With a one-year delay, the Italian government has implemented the EU Directive 2014/26/EU “on collective management of copyright and related rights and multi-territorial licensing of rights in musical works for online use in the internal market”, the so-called Barnier Directive.
On 11 April 2017, the Legislative Decree no. 35/2017, which implemented the Directive, entered into force.
This way, the ‘freedom of right holders to choose their collective management organizations’, as well as the principle of ‘equal treatment of categories of right holders and equitable distribution of royalties’ has finally been recognised in the Italian legal framework.
However, this new Italian provisions have probably not gone as far as many had hoped.Continue Reading The Legislative Decree which implements the Barnier Directive has entered into force
The Italian IP Code (Legislative Decree no. 30 of 10 February 2005) provides that, where an action for invalidity or infringement is filed before a court with reference to a not yet granted/registered IP title (patent, trademark, designs etc.), judgment shall not be issued until the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM) decides on such
The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) and the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a view to strengthening their cooperation. The Memorandum underlines that the two agencies share common interests, which relate in particular to keeping high levels of competition, granting access to medicines and preserving the economical balance of
Dopo alcuni anni di ricerche, discussioni, controlli e aggiustamenti, all’inizio dell’anno scorso (febbraio 2015) l’Ufficio Italiano Brevetti e Marchi (UIBM) ha finalmente introdotto una procedura telematica per il deposito online di domande tramite una piattaforma digitale. Inizialmente, le domande online erano state limitate ai marchi, brevetti e modelli ornamentali e relative istanze, tuttavia in un secondo tempo, nel novembre 2015, la procedura telematica era stata estesa anche alle varietà vegetali, al deposito di opposizioni, ricorsi e relative istanze.Continue Reading Il sistema italiano di deposito online: revisione e aggiornamento
La giurisprudenza europea è tornata ancora una volta ad occuparsi del giudizio di confondibilità tra marchi d’impresa e della percezione del pubblico nell’ambito di una annosa, quanto infuocata, disputa tra i celebri marchi SKY e SKYPE. Continue Reading SKY(PE), un serio rischio di confusione per il pubblico
Last spring our blog examined trademarks and Geographic Indications (GIs) see Daniela Ampollini below, “Se è un marchio è un marchio, se è un’indicazione geografica, non può essere un marchio” and in December 2014 the overlap between GIs and trademarks was a conference topic for partner, Julia Holden at the INTA December meeting in Munich. Last week in Brussels a one day conference also discussed whether Geographical Indications (GI) should be extended to non agricultural products. While the conference findings and responses to the consultation Green Paper are yet to be published, this article looks at whether it could be useful to extend the stretch of GIs beyond its current limits of foodstuffs wines and spirits to additional non-agricultural products.Continue Reading Florence’s Leather & Botticono Marble: The EU Green Paper
