Alessandro Ferrari

Partner
About

Alessandro Ferrari is a Partner in the Intellectual Property & Technology department and heads the Technology Sector in Italy. He is based in the Milan office.

Alessandro Ferrari mainly focuses on technologies, advising clients on transactional, advisory and IT litigation matters.

As for transactional work, his capabilities include drafting and negotiating complex, strategic and cross border business process outsourcing agreements and other commercial, IT and IP contracts across multiple industries and geographies (e.g., systems integration, ERP and CRM implementations, joint venture operations, offshoring, digital transformation and cloud transformation projects, infrastructural outsourcing agreements, SaaS and other “as a service” agreements, software and hardware licenses, professional services agreements, reseller arrangements, technology transfer and license agreements, clinical trial agreements, agency and distribution agreements - including selective distribution - franchising, procurement and manufacturing agreements, logistics services agreements, bandwidth capacity agreements, network service distribution agreements, satellite capacity agreements, content and film production agreements, influencers agreements, patent, know-how, trademark and copyright licenses, etc.). His expertise includes advising on all aspects of the sourcing / procurement process, including developing the deal structure, negotiating, and assisting clients in the implementation and integration strategies, governance, and performance management regimes.

He is also highly knowledgeable in the financial and insurance sector regulations relating to outsourcing and cloud-sourcing (e.g., EBA and EIOPA Guidelines, DORA Regulation) and has handled a variety of remediation projects. Furthermore, Alessandro assists IT solution providers participating in public tenders. In addition, he advises on the IT aspects in IT and technology-related litigations (e.g., interpretation of service level agreements, etc.).

As for advisory work, Alessandro regularly advises clients on technology-related matters, such as Artificial Intelligence and automation, Cyber-Security, e-commerce / consumer law, data protection, media (including from a regulatory standpoint and liaising with the authorities, AGCOM and MISE), product liability, open source, Internet of Things, Fintech / Insurtech regulations, health-tech, e-Signatures and e-Payments, Blockchain, e-Sports and e-Cigs.

Professional QualificationsAvvocato admitted to the Milan Bar

EXPERIENCE

  • Assisting UniCredit in one of the largest 2016 business process outsourcing transactions, involving the setting up of NewCos in various European countries, the transfer of various lines of businesses relating to electronic payments, card processing, issuing and acquiring functions, in addition to the drafting and negotiation of the outsourcing agreements; advising on a similar project for HP in relation to the BPO of certain Luxottica functions
  • Advising ICBPI on IT contracts and projects, including outsourcing deals
  • Assisting Kering in the drafting and negotiation of two large outsourcing projects: one for their help-desk services for the EMEA zone and the second one relating to the infrastructural architecture serving all Group brands
  • Assisted NTT Data in the definition of the group policies related to open source software. The assistance included the analysis of hundreds of open source licenses to determine the pros and cons and the drafting of the Group policies
  • Assisting Assicurazioni Generali in the drafting and negotiation of a research and development agreement with Progressive (a leading US insurance company) for the development of innovative usage based insurance products
  • Assisting Hinowa in the drafting and negotiation of a significant manufacturing outsourcing agreement with a US corporation
  • Assisting Scripps in relation to the acquisition of the LCN33 from Consorzio Alphabet. I regularly advise Scripps on media regulatory and commercial matters
  • Assisting Viacom in relation to the acquisition of the LCN27 from Sky and in relation to the Sale of MTV Italia to Sky (media regulatory, IP, commercial)
  • Assisting Vodafone Group in setting up a partnership with Mediaset for the transmission of on-demand content through Vodafone's broadband services
  • Regularly advising QVC on media regulatory and commercial matters (including inter alia consumer law, e-commerce and data protection)
Languages
  • Italian
  • English
Education
  • University of Pavia, Law degree
  • University of London, Queen Mary College, LL.M., Intellectual Property

Awards

  • Alessandro is ranked by Chambers Europe as “Up and Coming Lawyer” and mentioned by Legal 500 amongst the most renowned professionals operating in Italy.
  • Alessandro Ferrari is increasingly active in the IT market, where he has been called “a rising star.” He assists with outsourcing and regulatory mandates, often related to data protection issues. Sources call him “very precise and quick, which is especially important when we're under stress. He gives reassurance to us that all risks have been taken into account”. (Chambers Europe 2017)
  • Alessandro Ferrari is “skilled, quick and efficient”. (Legal 500 EMEA  2016)
  • Alessandro Ferrari “never loses sight of the final goal”. (Legal 500 EMEA 2015)
  • The “bright and reliable” Alessandro Ferrari is praised for his work in the media sector, and particularly for his “practical approach and problem-solving attitude”. (Chambers Europe 2015)
  • Alessandro Ferrari “provides wise advice”. (Legal 500 EMEA 2014)
  • Alessandro Ferrari is widely considered to be an active and talented media lawyer. (Chambers Europe 2014)
  • Interviewees highlight Alessandro Ferrari as a rising star in the technology sphere. One client comments: “He is simply brilliant and I would recommend him to anyone”. (Chambers Europe 2013)

Publications

Alessandro has authored several publications, including a comment on art. 16-bis of copyright law (satellite rights) published by UTET Giuridica (2011) in the Code of Industrial and Intellectual Property, C. Galli and A.M. Gambino.

Alessandro is the founder and regular contributor to LawInTech, the publication of the DLA Piper’s Technology Sector in Italy.

He is also the author of DLA Piper's IPT blog which features written and video blogs..

Prior Experience

Before joining DLA Piper, Alessandro worked for leading Italian and international law firms. 
 

Scientific Activity

Alessandro was a teacher at the University of Milan, Faculty of Law, in a master course focused on copyright law, outsourcing / cloud computing / data protection related issues and issues relating to Internet Law and new technologies (e.g. blockchain, artificial intelligence).

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