The seminar aims at providing the students with an overview on the main Intellectual Property Rights (with focus on patents) along with a specific knowledge on the main patent filing options and strategies, the exclusive rights granted by a patent and the employees and researchers’ rights on the inventions realized during their work relationship with private and public entities, analyzing the most relevant shifting that the Law in Italy faced in this regard in 2023.

The issue of patent on software and AI systems will be addressed.

Expected outcome:

• identify pros and cons of the different patent filing options;
• clear understanding of the scope of protection of a patent;
• legal framework of the employees and researchers’ intellectual property rights and awareness of the risks deriving from a bad drafted employees’ contract.

Table of contents

• Overview on intellectual property rights;
• Patentability requirements
• International or foreign patent filing strategies: Italian patent application, European patent application and PCT patent application: timing and costs;
• Employees and researchers’ rights on inventions: focus on Art. 64 and Art. 65 of the Italian Industrial Property Code and International perspective.