Food and wine-related law: civil and criminal aspects
The Pisani Law Firm provides extrajudicial consultancy and judicial assistance regarding all aspects of food law, including wine, with particular attention to European legislation.
The issues addressed by the Firm include product hygiene and safety, labelling (including compliance with current legislation and nutritional information), official food checks, organic farming products, additives, food for human consumption, animal feed, packaging and product advertising in compliance with the standards established by law.
The Firm also deals with managing early warning procedures, as well as food disputes, including legal action for compensation of product damage, commercial disputes concerning labelling, administrative procedures following inspections and checks.
The Firm’s consultancy offer also includes competition issues and antitrust legislation in the food sector (for example, anti-competition agreements and unfair commercial practices) as well as issues relating to industrial property (trademarks, patents, protection of geographical indications and designations of origin, etc.).
Lastly, the Firm also provides its clients assistance in this sector with regard to criminal proceedings (for example trade fraud, transport of GMOs, adulteration and counterfeiting of food substances, trade in harmful substances, counterfeit geographical origin or designation of origin of food products).
Regarding VITICULTURAL LAW, the Pisani Law Firm has developed a specialized competence, with particular reference to related issues regulated both by Italian law and by the European Union, including international contracts, trademark protection and protection of designations of origin (both within the EU and outside the EU), anti-competitive agreements and unfair commercial practices, wine supply contracts for distance selling.
The Firm also offers advice on labelling with reference to compulsory and optional indications to be used (for example, reserved use of “indications”) as well as the relationship between trademarks and geographical indications.
The consultancy offer also includes issues relating to the production specifications (content, development methods) and product quality inspections.
The Firm also handles administrative responsibilities for wineries pursuant to Legislative Decree 231/2001 as well as any related and connected issues regarding the control and repression of fraud in the wine sector (liability, sanctions and proceedings).
