At a glance
- We advise authors, artists, producers and companies on Italian and EU copyright: contracts, ownership, moral rights, collecting societies and enforcement.
- Since Law 132/2025, works made with AI are protected in Italy only if there is a real human creative contribution. We help you document it and put it in your contracts.
- We also advise on art law and register trademarks for creative businesses, in English, Italian and Spanish.
Copyright arises automatically in Italy, without registration. But owning a right and being able to use it, license it or defend it are different things. We help clients in Italy and abroad structure their rights at the start of a project and protect them when something goes wrong.
What we do
- Licences and assignments: contracts for the use and transfer of works across media and territories.
- Ownership and authorship: co-authorship, commissioned works, chain of title.
- Moral rights: attribution and integrity, which in Italy cannot be waived.
- Enforcement: cease and desist letters, AGCOM procedures, platform takedowns and disputes.
- Collecting societies: SIAE, Nuovo IMAIE, SCF, registrations and royalties.
- AI and copyright: proof of human authorship, AI clauses, opt-out from AI training, voice and image of performers.
- Takedowns and copyright strikes: notices and counter-notices on YouTube, streaming services and digital distributors.
- Art law: artists, galleries and collectors, image rights and cultural heritage. See our guide to art law in Italy.
- Trademarks: searches, registration and protection for creative businesses. See Get Started – Trademarks.
Copyright and AI in Italy
With Law 132/2025, Article 1 of the Italian Copyright Act now protects works created with the help of AI only if they result from the author’s own intellectual work; content generated by a machine alone is not protected. Training AI on protected works is allowed only within the text and data mining exceptions, and rightholders can opt out. For anyone creating or producing in Italy, the human contribution needs to be planned, documented and written into the contracts.
AI is a tool, like a brush. The work is protected when the hand that guides it is human: our job is to make sure that can be proven.
For international clients
Italian copyright often surprises clients from common-law countries: moral rights cannot be waived and last indefinitely, there is no general work for hire rule, and rights in a commissioned work pass only if the contract says so. We make sure your contracts work on both sides.
FAQ
Do I need to register my work in Italy?
No. Protection is automatic. Evidence of authorship and date, such as drafts, files, a SIAE deposit or certified email, helps if the work is disputed.
Are works created with AI protected in Italy?
Yes, if they result from a human author’s intellectual work, under Article 1 of the Copyright Act as amended by Law 132/2025. Content generated by a machine alone is not.
Is there a work for hire rule in Italy?
Not as a general rule. The author keeps the rights in a commissioned work unless the contract assigns them, with exceptions such as software made by employees and the producer’s rights in a film.
Can moral rights be waived in Italy?
No. Contracts can regulate how they are exercised, for example by agreeing on edits in advance, but cannot remove them.
Further reading
| Copyright law in Italy: a guide for foreign clients |
| Moral rights in film |
| EU AI Act compliance for creative industries |
| What copyright does not protect in Italy |
| Public domain in Italy |
Book a consultation
Tell us about your project in a 30-minute call. We reply within one working day.