Donato Di Pelino is a lawyer specialising in copyright, intellectual property and art law, based in Genova. He graduated with a thesis in comparative private law on contracts in the visual arts — a starting point that defines his entire practice: the intersection of law and artistic creation.
He advises painters, sculptors, video artists, digital creatives, musicians, authors and cultural operators on the legal and economic aspects of their work — from the structuring of contracts to the protection and exploitation of their rights, from gallery agreements to international disputes.
Areas of Practice
- Visual arts and contemporary art — exhibition and consignment contracts, gallery agreements, art fair participation, artist-gallery relationships, resale right (droit de suite) and its application to secondary market sales
- Copyright and authors’ rights — registration, licensing, assignment, infringement and enforcement for works across all creative disciplines
- Music and performing arts — contracts for musicians, performers and live events; management, publishing and sync agreements
- Film and publishing — co-production agreements, editorial contracts, adaptation rights
- Performance art and ephemeral works — legal protection for time-based, site-specific and live art practices
- Digital art and new technologies — NFTs, AI-generated works, online licensing and digital rights management
A Practice Built Around Artists
Donato’s approach is grounded in a simple conviction: understanding the creative process is a prerequisite for advising artists effectively. Legal protection is not a constraint on creativity — it is what makes creativity sustainable, commercially viable and transferable over time.
He writes critical texts and reviews on contemporary art, and is co-founder — together with lawyer Claudia Roggero — of MOSSA APS, a cultural association and artist residency based in Genova dedicated to the promotion of contemporary art.
The Resale Right
One area Donato follows with particular attention is the artists’ resale right (droit de suite): the right of visual artists to receive a percentage of the proceeds each time their work is resold on the secondary market. Many artists are unaware of this right or do not know how to enforce it. Donato advises on how to identify qualifying sales, how to claim payment through the relevant collecting societies, and how to structure contracts that protect this right from the outset.
Contact
→ Book a consultation: donatodipelino.youcanbook.me
→ Email: donatodipelino@dandi.media
→ WhatsApp: +39 333 486 7048
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