Press Room

In 2023, Italian inventors filed more than 5,000 applications with the European Patent Office (EPO), registering growth above the European average, leading to increased work for law firms specializing in intellectual property.

Among the professionals interviewed, Mattia Dalla Costa, highlights the significant increase in patent applications as an important record for our country. A trend that reflects the growth of the R&D-based economy and an increased awareness among companies of the competitive advantage provided by technological innovation and its protectability.

“the significant increase in patent applications is an important record for our country. The data point to significant growth in the R&D-based economy and underlie a growing awareness on the part of companies with respect to the competitive advantage provided by technological innovation, but even more so by the protectability of innovation at both the process and product levels. Hence the centrality of a 360-degree strategic approach and the role of IP attorneys who must support companies throughout the chain leading to the technological product, from the R&D phase to the patenting path, from IP protection to national and international enforcement. Because filing does not mean obtaining, just as obtaining, does not mean maintaining. In fact, the life of the patent can be threatened even after it has been granted, where, for example, the validity of the patent is challenged in a subsequent opposition proceeding or nullity court case. It is also essential to provide adequate protection right from the research and development phase, an activity that is often managed with third parties and therefore a possible scenario for leakage, even unintentional, of data and information that jeopardize the company's know-how. In co-creation activity, data management is critical as are the internal corporate protocols that the lawyer must put in place to ensure confidentiality and, therefore, protection. Law firms have an increasingly important role in monitoring the evolution of national and international regulations (think of the Unitary Patent Court) as well as in planning a comprehensive IP0 strategy to effectively anticipate challenges and litigation that may arise during the life cycle of a patent.” A decisive role in the push for patenting is undoubtedly to be credited to the new Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court system that came into effect on June 1, 2023. Suffice it to say that as of March 20, 2024, the cumulative total of Unitary Patent applications was 22,484, and of these as many as 97.3 percent were granted by Epo.”