JUVE Comment

The Italian IP firm Trevisan & Cuonzo is one of the leading litigation practices for pan-European proceedings at national courts in Italy. From this position, it is also the first port of call for clients who want to use the UPC courts in Milan and seek local representatives outside of internationally integrated law firms. So far, however, the team has only been involved in two proceedings on the defendant side, namely for AutoStore against Ocado, which was quickly settled. The low number of cases is partly because, so far, the Milan division has not often been the location of choice – as of the editorial deadline it had seven sets of proceedings. It is also partly due to the competition from international law firms such as Bird & Bird, Simmons & Simmons or DLA Piper, which have their own teams in Milan and have attracted clients with their set-up.

Trevisan & Cuonzo, on the other hand, is positioning itself as a nationally independent law firm that is well connected internationally. It is thus also called in as local counsel in UPC cases. For example, it is acting for client Bhagat Textile Engineers alongside the UK law firm Powell Gilbert.

This strong network, combined with its experience in pan-European proceedings concerning pharmaceutical patents, could open up opportunities for the team in the future when more pharmaceutical cases are brought before the UPC. Overall, the team, which is relatively large for the Italian market, has extensive patent litigation experience in various technological fields. This could come into play if medium-sized companies also use the local division in Milan more frequently.

Strengths

In-depth knowledge and experience in litigation culture in Milan.

Team

10 lawyers

Clients

AutoStore against Ocado over robotic warehouse system (settled 2023); Bhagat Textile Engineers against Oerlikon over textile machinery.