Latest updates
How is technology changing employer-employee relationships?
Stanchi Studio Legale- Employment & Benefits
- Italy
- 13 November 2019
A recent Padua Labour Court decision affirmed that the traditional concept of subordinated relationships between employers and employees should be redesigned to reflect how changes in technology are reshaping company organisation. This decision is one of the first in which an Italian labour court has considered whether the traditional concept of employment relationships is still valid or if employees' and employers' rights should be considered differently in light of technology's impact on organisations.
Decision on shipbrokers' informative obligations
Dardani Studio Legale- Shipping & Transport
- Italy
- 06 November 2019
A significant recent judgment by the Genoa Court of Appeal examined the extent and nature of the informative duties imposed on shipbrokers under Italian law. The decision applies to shipbrokers the principles outlined by the Italian courts for general brokerage activities (in particular, real estate brokerage for which the case law is richer and more consistent). Consequently, a general and uniform legal framework has been extended to shipbrokers.
Differential damages and insurers – everything must change so that everything can stay the same
DLA Piper- Insurance
- Italy
- 29 October 2019
Employees injured at work are compensated by the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work (INAIL), but can also bring an action before the civil courts against their employers or other liable third parties for damages not covered by INAIL. However, the criteria that the courts should follow to quantify so-called 'differential damages' remain unclear, which is relevant for third-party liability insurers exposed to indemnification claims arising from INAIL's recourse actions.
Artistic value and copyright protection for industrial designs
IP Law Galli- Intellectual Property
- Italy
- 28 October 2019
Industrial property lawyers in Italy have been given cause for reflection following a recent European Court of Justice decision which was expected to clarify whether the legislatures of EU member states can grant copyright protection for designs subject to additional requirements to those required for all other copyrighted works. This issue is of particular importance in Italy, as copyright protection is granted to designs on the condition that they have 'artistic value', as assessed by the courts, as well as a creative aspect.
Supreme Court of Cassation decision on activities of controlling entities
Grieco e Associati- Company & Commercial
- Italy
- 21 October 2019
Article 2497 of the Civil Code sets out that companies which provide direction to coordinate their subsidiaries are directly liable to the subsidiaries' minority shareholders for any damages caused to profitability and shareholding value by a violation of fair management principles. In this context, a recent Supreme Court of Cassation decision examined how to assess whether a corporate group exists and the scope of controlling entities' direction and coordination activities.
Why GSE should reduce instead of revoke incentives for PV plants
Norton Rose Fulbright Studio Legale- Energy & Natural Resources
- Italy
- 21 October 2019
According to a recent Lazio Regional Administrative Court ruling, before reaching a decision on the revocation of incentives, the Energy Services Operator must confirm whether the renewables exception set out in Article 42(3) of Legislative Decree 28/2011 applies (ie, the plant in question must have received incentives when the violation was verified) and assess the size of the reduction with regard to the extent of the violation detected.
Non-possessory floating pledge: new floating charge under Italian law
Legance – Avvocati Associati- Banking
- Italy
- 18 October 2019
A recent reform introduced a non-possessory floating pledge to the Italian legal framework. Under the reform, the perfection of such security can take place without the delivery of a pledged asset to the secured creditor, thus introducing an important exception to the general legal framework. Similar to the floating charge structure, the absence of a dispossession requirement enables entrepreneurs to retain the availability of collateral which can be used in the course of the productive cycle.
Milan court sets precedent on second medical use invention plausibility
Hogan Lovells- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Italy
- 16 October 2019
Few Italian precedents have considered the plausibility of a second medical use invention as a potential requirement for patent validity. However, a recent decision has clearly stated for the first time and as a matter of principle that the plausibility of an invention does not need the support of experimental data; rather, credible information based on a sound scientific and technical rationale is sufficient.
Authorisations for processing employee data revised
Ichino Brugnatelli e Associati Studio Legale- Tech, Data, Telecoms & Media
- Italy
- 04 October 2019
Following the General Data Protection Regulation's (GDPR's) entry into force, the legislature asked the Data Protection Authority to review and update the so-called 'general authorisations' that it issued to allow the processing of sensitive data in the absence of the data subject's consent. Drawing on Article 9 of the GDPR, the Data Protection Authority subsequently issued Provision 146/2019, which sets out the requirements for processing special categories of data in employment relationships.
Ryanair and Codacons agree ADR mechanism for flight compensation claims
Studio Pierallini- Aviation
- Italy
- 02 October 2019
Due to the continued increase in the number of commercial flights and the resulting growth of passenger compensation claims under the EU Flight Delay Compensation Regulation, Ryanair and Codacons (the largest Italian consumer association) recently signed a valuable partnership agreement which will see them cooperate to settle claims made under the regulation by Italian passengers through alternative dispute resolution.
Supreme Court of Cassation examines rules on reimbursement of company loans
Grieco e Associati- Company & Commercial
- Italy
- 23 September 2019
The Supreme Court of Cassation recently held that the postponement of loan reimbursements to company partners or shareholders applies not only in cases of court-assessed insolvency, but also if a company experiences temporary financial difficulties. The court also found that company management must refuse to reimburse loans to partners or shareholders if the company was experiencing financial difficulties when the loan was granted or the reimbursement was requested.
National Labour Inspectorate specifies scope of penalties for irregular posting of employees
Stanchi Studio Legale- Employment & Benefits
- Italy
- 11 September 2019
The posting of employees from an EU country to Italy must comply with Legislative Decree 136/2016. The law applies to companies established in EU member states which, in the context of the provision of services, post to Italy one or more employees in favour of another company, including those belonging to the same group, another production unit or another recipient, on the condition that during the posting, an employment relationship continues to exist with the posted employee.
Tribunal of Genoa examines jurisdiction issue in pre-trial proceedings regarding court surveyor's appointment
Dardani Studio Legale- Shipping & Transport
- Italy
- 11 September 2019
A recent Tribunal of Genoa case concerning a yacht lost during carriage examined whether the Italian courts have jurisdiction to appoint court surveyors and order survey operations to take place in Italy where the merits of a dispute are not subject to Italian jurisdiction. According to the tribunal, the fact that the merits of the dispute in question were to be decided in London did not deprive the Italian courts' jurisdiction to order inspection and survey operations on goods located in Italy.
Supreme Court of Cassation finds that aim of greater productivity justified employee's dismissal
Ichino Brugnatelli e Associati Studio Legale- Litigation
- Italy
- 10 September 2019
A recent Supreme Court of Cassation decision examined whether there were justified objective reasons for an employer to dismiss an employee following his refusal to reduce his hours in the wake of a company reorganisation to reduce labour costs and increase productivity. The court examined previous case law in this regard, reassessed the parameters of justified objective reasons for dismissal and set out the scope of judicial examinations of such a dismissal's legitimacy.
Supreme Court of Cassation reverses patent limitation decision
IP Law Galli- Intellectual Property
- Italy
- 09 September 2019
The Supreme Court of Cassation recently reversed a Milan Court of Appeal ruling on patent limitation. The Supreme Court of Cassation found that although the Milan Court of Appeal had held the patent at issue to be valid, it had not granted the patentee's claims for infringement because the patent had been subject to a limitation procedure and the acts of infringement had been carried out before the application for limitation had been filed.
Italy and China – a new era of cooperation between insurance supervisory authorities?
DLA Piper- Insurance
- Italy
- 20 August 2019
The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and the Italian Institute for the Supervision of Insurance recently entered into a memorandum of understanding setting out the basis for cooperation between the two supervisory authorities in the context of a broader plan of general cooperation between Italy and China. It will be interesting to see what concrete effects (if any) the memorandum will have, particularly in the context of the present unstable geopolitical situation.
Regulation of cannabis use in food and cosmetics
Hogan Lovells- Product Regulation & Liability
- Italy
- 15 August 2019
The cultivation and industrial use of hemp in Italy has a long tradition and recent changes to the law have led to a revival in this regard. While a law enacted in 2016 promotes hemp cultivation as a means to preserve biodiversity and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, hemp-derived products for human consumption are still subject to restrictions. A recent Supreme Court judgment has had the last word on the legality of cannabis.
W&I insurance – IVASS clears up some uncertainties
DLA Piper- Insurance
- Italy
- 13 August 2019
IVASS (the Italian insurance regulator) recently clarified that warranty and indemnity (W&I) insurance policies do not fall within the scope of Article 4 of IVASS Regulation 29/2009 concerning risks connected to valuation gains and losses resulting from corporate transactions. The clarification is particularly helpful, as W&I insurance can be an important tool for completing corporate transactions smoothly and may favour the local market's development in line with international trends.
Italy implements EU Trademarks Directive and further strengthens trademark protection
IP Law Galli- Intellectual Property
- Italy
- 12 August 2019
Legislative Decree 15/2019, which implements the EU Trademarks Directive, entered into force on 23 March 2019. The decree's main innovations include the reinforcement of trademark protection (in particular, the possibility of using cross-border measures and reacting against certain preparatory acts of counterfeiting has been extended to transported goods) and the removal of the anachronistic requirement of graphic representation for the registration of non-conventional trademarks.
New regulations on brands that evoke Italy or are linked to Italian territory
IP Law Galli- Intellectual Property
- Italy
- 05 August 2019
The so-called 'Growth Decree' has made provision for IP rights, particularly by introducing new regulations dedicated to 'Italian-sounding terms'. Specifically, the new regulations concern the adoption by foreign manufacturers of distinctive signs that evoke Italy and, more generally, trademarks linked to Italian territory. The adoption of such marks is now an act of piracy and considered substantially equal to counterfeiting.
