As economic and trade ties between China and Italy continue to deepen, intellectual property (IP) and cross-border data compliance have become key issues in bilateral investment cooperation. Recently, Guangdong Qianhai Law Firm hosted a visit and exchange with Alfredo Esposito, a renowned Italian expert in intellectual property and data compliance. The two sides held in-depth discussions on core topics including China-Italy IP protection, China-Europe IP practice, EU GDPR data compliance, and cross-border commercial dispute resolution. They reached consensus on jointly building a cross-border legal service ecosystem and establishing a China-Italy legal cooperation platform, and are committed to providing full-chain legal safeguards for Chinese enterprises "going global to Italy" and Italian enterprises investing and operating in China.
▲ Lawyer Eunice Yan with Lawyer Alfredo Esposito
一、双方律所简介
I. Introduction to the Two Law Firms
Guangdong Qianhai Law Firm
Rooted in the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Legal Services Zone, Guangdong Qianhai Law Firm leverages the locational advantages of the Greater Bay Area's opening-up to continuously build an internationalized and integrated cross-border legal service system.Qianhai Law Firm specializes in intellectual property, cross-border commerce, international dispute resolution, and data compliance, and excels at domestic and overseas IP rights establishment, enforcement, licensing transactions, cross-border investment due diligence, and foreign-related arbitration and litigation. Building on Qianhai's high ground for foreign-related rule of law, it integrates legal resources at home and abroad, focusing on serving Chinese enterprises entering European and global markets, while also providing localized legal support for overseas enterprises conducting business in China, thereby helping to open up cross-border legal service channels.
Difesa d'Autore - Law Firm (Italy)
Founded by the renowned Italian lawyer Avv. Alfredo Esposito and registered with the Naples Bar Association, the firm is a boutique law firm based in Italy that serves international clients.The firm focuses on EU and Italian intellectual property, GDPR data compliance, cross-border commercial disputes, and foreign-related investment legal services. Proficient in both Italian domestic law and EU regulations, it provides professional services including trademark, copyright, and trade-secret protection, data compliance audits, regulatory response, cross-border cease-and-desist letters, and local Italian litigation. It serves a large number of foreign investors and multinational business entities and has extensive hands-on experience in China-Europe cross-border projects.
II. Exchange and Discussion: Focusing on China-Italy IP and Data Compliance Practice
During the discussions, the lawyers from both sides held thorough exchanges on the legal pain points in bilateral China-Italy economic and trade activities.
▲ Lawyer Eunice Yan and Lawyer Alfredo Esposito at their discussion
They focused on bilateral China-Italy cross-border IP protection, including the establishment and layout of rights such as trademarks, patents, and trade secrets in Italy and the EU, infringement risk prevention and control, and rights enforcement and remedies, addressing the practical challenges arising from the differences between Chinese and Italian legal rules;At the same time, they conducted an in-depth study of EU GDPR data compliance practice, including cross-border data flows, data breach handling, communication with and response to Italian regulatory authorities, as well as legal risk prevention and control in IP licensing and cross-border investment transactions between China and Italy.
In addition, both sides held focused discussions on recent industry hotspots. Taking the removal of Chinese AI applications such as DeepSeek from certain European countries due to data compliance issues as an entry point, they conducted an in-depth analysis of the data compliance challenges facing Chinese technology enterprises entering Europe under regulatory frameworks such as the EU GDPR, the Data Act, and the AI Act. They also focused on the data compliance pain points of export products such as cross-border e-commerce smart devices and drones, exchanging views on practical issues including cross-border data transmission, privacy by design, user consent, data transfer assessments and localization, and communication with Italian and EU regulators, so as to provide forward-looking compliance advice for enterprises targeting the European market.
Both sides agreed that, as China-Italy economic and trade cooperation continues to expand, both enterprises going global and foreign investment coming to China face regulatory barriers stemming from two different legal systems. Intellectual property and data compliance are the lifelines of enterprises' cross-border operations, and there is an urgent need for professional legal coordination across jurisdictions to safeguard bilateral economic and trade activities.
▲ Lawyer Eunice Yan with Lawyer Alfredo Esposito
III. Building an Ecosystem: Establishing a China-Italy Cross-Border Legal Service Cooperation Platform
After thorough communication, Qianhai Law Firm and Italy's Difesa d’Autore Law Firm reached a consensus on cooperation:Jointly build a China-Italy legal service collaboration platform: establish regular mechanisms for business exchange, case sharing, and mutual expert visits, and open up China-Italy legal service channels;Focus on two core service directions: first, China-Italy cross-border IP protection, covering the overseas layout, enforcement, and remedies for trademarks, patents, and trade secrets; second, EU GDPR data compliance, providing compliance solutions, risk early-warning, and dispute resolution for enterprises' cross-border operations;Serve Chinese and foreign enterprises in both directions: provide local Italian legal support for Chinese enterprises entering the Italian and EU markets; while also providing PRC legal opinions for Italian enterprises investing and operating in China, helping enterprises avoid cross-border legal risks;Collaborate on professional research and legal awareness: jointly conduct research on China-Europe IP and data compliance, produce practical guidance, and serve the economic and trade exchanges between the Greater Bay Area and Europe.
As an important window of the rule of law for China's opening-up, Qianhai continues to advance the building of its cross-border legal service system and actively connects with high-quality legal resources worldwide. This cooperation with Italy's Difesa d’Autore Law Firm marks an important step for the firm in expanding its European legal service network.
In the future, Qianhai Law Firm will continue to leverage its strengths in cross-border legal services, work in concert with overseas partner firms, and use its professional expertise to safeguard bilateral China-Italy economic and trade investment, support Chinese enterprises in exploring European markets, and build a solid legal barrier for the cross-border development of Chinese and foreign enterprises.
▲ From left: Lawyer Alfredo Esposito, Lawyer Eunice Yan, and Yang Jinguang, Founder of Specific AI (Chuhaiyi)