Maria Balestriero

Maria Balestriero Italy

Member of the arbitral tribunal
Italy Italian (Italy) Resident in Italy English — Fluent French — Intermediate

Surname
Balestriero
First name
Maria
Current professional position
Of Counsel
Organisation / firm
Portolano Cavallo
Country of residence
Italy
Nationality
Italian (Italy)
Languages spoken & proficiency
EnglishFluent FrenchIntermediate

Arbitrator roles
Member of the arbitral tribunal
Professional biography
Maria Balestriero has over twenty-five years of experience in Intellectual Property, with a particular focus on patent in the Life Sciences-Healthcare and Digital-Media-Tech sectors. She handles litigation nationally and in complex cross-border cases. She has managed numerous cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union and proceedings before the UPC, the EUIPO, the EPO and the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM). Her practice also covers licensing, technology transfer, assignment, distribution, coexistence and confidentiality agreements. She writes and speaks regularly on intellectual property topics, with a particular focus on European patent litigation and the Life Sciences sector. She is Ambassador of the IP Business Academy (CEIPI, Università di Strasburgo). She is Secretary of the IP and Antitrust Commission of the Milan Bar Association and member of its Unified Patent Court working group. She earned an advanced university degree in patent litigation in Europe at the CEIPI (Centre d’Études Internationales de la Propriété Intellectuelle), University of Strasbourg, France, with a focus on litigation before the Unified Patent Court. Maria is a member of the Milan Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Cassation. She is UPC Representative.

Legal / dispute expertise
Commercial contracts Copyrights & related rights Designs European patents Licensing & technology transfer National patents SPCs (Supplementary Protection Certificates) Trade secrets & know-how Trademarks Unfair competition Unitary patents
Technical expertise
Artificial intelligence / data technologies Biotechnology Chemistry Diagnostics Medical technology / medical devices Pharmaceutics
Industries
Pharmaceuticals & life sciences Technology & IT

Bar admission(s)
2004 - Milan Bar Association
Governing law experience
Civil law

Education (degrees)
Law degree, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, 2000
Relevant training
Postgraduate diploma in Patent Litigation in Europe, CEIPI, University of Strasbourg
Master degree in intellectual property from the Intellectual Property Center – IPC, Verona (currently offered by PoliMi Politecnico di Milano as the trademarks and patents course)
Certifications / licenses
Attorney-at-law, Milan Bar Association (2004)
Qualified before the Italian Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione)
UPC Representative
EUIPO Representative
Memberships / accreditations
Secretary of the IP and Antitrust Commission of the Milan Bar Association and member of its Unified Patent Court working group
Member of LES Italy (Licensing Executive Society)
Member of the European Patent Litigation Association (EPLIT)
Member of the Chiefs in Intellectual Property (ChIPs) network
Member of the Camera degli Avvocati Industrialisti
Ambassador of the IP Business Academy (CEIPI, Università di Strasburgo)
Publications and/or speaking engagements

Recent Lectures: - "The recent case law and forthcoming legislative reforms on Bolar exemptions provisions across Europe" - Pharma & Biotech Patent Litigation Europe Congress (Amsterdam - January 2026) - "Venture Capital and IP: intellectual property as a strategic asset from an investment perspective" - Milan Bar Association (IP week - Novembre 2025) - "From the laboratory to the patient: opportunities for arbitration in the Life Sciences sector". - Milan Arbitration Chamber (October 2025) - Life Sciences Talks: Licensing & Fundraising in the Life Sciences Venture Capital Ecosystem with Goodwin, Indaco Venture Partners, Italian Tech Alliance (October 2025) - “Expanding a Project's IP: Complementary Protection Tools”, Network PERFETTO, Italian Technology Transfer Office Network in Life Sciences – TT Accelerator Academy (March 2025) - "From the lab to the market. The never-ending story of a Life Sciences startup, from research to IP protection to international expansion” with HUMAN Technopole, Wilson Sonsini and Italian Tech Alliance (March 2025) Recent Publications: - “UPC long-arm jurisdiction confirmed by newly issued order by the Milan Local Division” in Portolano Cavallo Inform@ Digital & IP on April 11, 2025; -"Patent compulsory licenses with a special focus on the new compulsory licensing regulations in the case of health emergency" in the Italian chapter of the second and third edition of the Global Competition Review, The Guide to Life Sciences; - “Bolar Exemption, UPCA and pharma package: What to expect? An Italian perspective” - International Bar Association (IBA)’s newsletter; - “The Dabus case: artificial intelligence cannot be designated as an inventor in a patent” - AboutPharma; - “The Italian Supreme Court orders a pharmaceutical company to pay damages to the National Health System for abusing its dominant position in managing the Xalatan patent lifecycle (Pfizer)” - Concurrences.