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Gualtiero Luca Dragotti

Partner
He is impeccable at always providing all the elements necessary for the evaluation of various cases and defining the best strategy together with the business.
— Chambers Europe 2026
Milan
About

Gualtiero has over 25 years of experience of handling intellectual property matters, specifically focusing on patents and the protection of innovation in industries such as mechanical, life science, chemical, fashion, and sports equipment.

Gualtiero advises leading Italian and international clients on various non contentious and contentious IP cases, including some of the key patent litigation issues in Italy.

Gualtiero is admitted to the Supreme Court in Italy. In 2026 he has been admitted to the list of arbitrators of the Patent Mediation and Arbitration Centre (PMAC) of the Unified Patent Court.

He served as a Juridical Expert for the Anti-Counterfeiting National Council, appointed by the Ministry of the Economic Development and is a member of the IP Commission of the Milan Bar.

Gualtiero has been teaching IP at the faculty of Chemistry - University of Milan as appointed Professor for over 10 years since 2017, he is lecturer at the Politecnico di Milano in the postgraduate course for European Patent Litigator (EPL).

He was appointed as a member of the Research Project on Biotechnology under the patronage of the University of Modena and Luiss – Guido Carli International University, with the sponsorship of MIUR.

Gualtiero is a member of the Standing Committee on the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court of AIPPI - International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and past president of the Italian chapter of the Association.

He regularly speaks at seminars and conferences organized by universities and IP concerned groups.

Before joining DLA Piper in 2011, Gualtiero worked with leading law firms.

Areas of FocusLife SciencesMedia, Sports and EntertainmentIntellectual PropertyPatent LitigationTrademark and Copyright Litigation
Professional QualificationsAvvocato admitted to the Milan Bar

EXPERIENCE

  • Successfully assisted a manufacturer and distributor of sports equipment in enforcing its right on a patented product against some of its main competitors in Italy, US and Sweden.
  • Successfully assisted one of the largest motorcycle apparel manufacturer in a multinational patent dispute concerning the future of motorcycle riders and pilot protection.
  • Assisted the owner of one of the most famous soccer club in the Italian serie A in the sale of its controlling interest to another group, managing all IP aspects related to the transaction, including brand and media rights issue.
  • Successfully assisted a client in a litigation, up to the Supreme Court, that contributed to set the notion of infringement by equivalents in Italy.
  • Obtained the highest damage award, at the time of the decision, in a patent infringement proceedings .
  • Is assisting one of the major European publisher in their most relevant trademark and copyright matters.
  • Is managing the IP contentious matters of a major Italian food & beverage company.
Languages
  • Italian
  • English

Awards

Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, The Legal 500 and a number of other client surveys have identified Gualtiero as a leading individual in the IP field. In 2023, Gualtiero has entered the "Hall of Fame" of The Legal 500 EMEA for Intellectual Property.

  • "He is impeccable at always providing all the elements necessary for the evaluation of various cases and defining the best strategy together with the business." (Chambers Europe 2026)
  • "Gualtiero Dragotti is exceptional." (Chambers Europe 2026)
  • "He is very practical and identifies the right strategy. "(Chambers Europe 2026)
Education

  • Law degree, University of Milan

  • Post-graduation course at the University of Milan
  • Program of Instruction for Lawyers at the Harvard Law School

Publications

Gualtiero contributes on regular basis to main IP Italian reviews and is among the authors of "International Intellectual Property Litigation" (Thomson Sweet & Maxwell) and of "Enforcement of Decisions of the Unified Patent Courts" (Wolters Kluwer). He also contributed to the first commentary of the UPC Rules of Procedure, to be published in 2026 by Lefebvre Giuffrè.

Seminars

Gualtiero is a speaker in several conferences and seminars organized by universities and IP concerned groups.

Prior Experience

Before joining DLA Piper, Gualtiero was for a long time partner in a leading Italian IP consulting firm.

Scientific Activity

Gualtiero was appointed as a member of the Research Project on Biotechnology under the patronage of the University of Modena and Luiss – Guido Carli International University, with the sponsorship of MIUR.

He has been teaching IP at the faculty of Chemistry - University of Milan as appointed Professor for over 10 years.

Since 2017, Gualtiero is lecturer at the Politecnico di Milano in the postgraduate course for European Patent Litigator (EPL).

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Admitted to represent clients before the Supreme Court
  • PMAC arbitrator
  • Past President of AIPPI Group - Italy
  • Member of the Standing Committee on the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court of AIPPI
  • Served as Juridical Expert at CNAC (Anti-Counterfeiting National Agency)
     

My latest insights

Publication
Ile_Vierge_Lighthouse_P_0850

UPC Legal Compass: The Language Regime of the Unified Patent Court

16 October 2025

Publication
Technician walking in hallway of server room_PPT

Diritto intelligente – Issue N. 10

18 June 2025 .2 minute read

Events
Modern_Abstract _Architecture_P_1082

Patent Power Hour – UPC Webinar Series

21 May 2025 .1 minute read

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Phone

+39 02 80 618 1
(Work, Milan)
+39 335 82 32 937
(Work)