Mario Gonella is recognised as a senior intellectual-property attorney in Italy, combining technical engineering training with more than four decades of hands-on experience in patent and trademark strategy. His profile at PROPRIA S.r.l. positions him as a co-owner and a primary advisor on complex industrial property portfolios for Italian and international clients.
Gonella began his professional career in 1986, establishing the patent function at Nordica S.p.A., and subsequently managed the patent portfolio for companies acquired by the Benetton Group from 1989. He moved to Benetton Group S.p.A. in 1998 to lead the group’s patent and trademark department and joined PROPRIA as a partner in 2001.
He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and is qualified as an Italian Industrial Property Attorney, a European Patent Attorney and a European Trademark & Design Attorney, credentials that reflect both technical depth and recognised qualification to represent clients before European patent authorities.
Gonella’s practice focuses on the full lifecycle of industrial property protection: patent drafting & prosecution, strategic portfolio management, trademark and design filing and prosecution, freedom-to-operate analysis, and support for technology-transfer agreements. PROPRIA’s service offering emphasises coordinated domestic and cross-border protection strategies for companies seeking to commercialise innovation in Italy and abroad.
He serves clients across manufacturing, sporting goods, and technology-driven sectors where engineering know-how is essential to effective IP protection. Gonella’s mechanical engineering background gives him an advantage in translating technical inventions into robust patent claims and in assessing prior art and inventive step for contested matters.
Gonella combines in-house corporate patent management experience with private practice representation, a blend that helps him design enforceable and commercially aligned IP strategies. His earlier roles building and running patent departments for industrial groups inform a pragmatic focus on portfolio value, enforceability and licensing potential rather than on filings alone.
Clients benefit from his dual perspective: an engineer’s attention to technical detail and an attorney’s command of prosecution routes and opposition/appeal strategies at European and national offices. This mix is particularly useful for SMEs and manufacturers that must align R&D, production and market protection.
Gonella has acted as representative on European patent matters and appears in official patent documents as counsel of record for PROPRIA, demonstrating active involvement in prosecution of technical patents before the European Patent Office. One recent published European patent lists Gonella as representative for PROPRIA in connection with technical footwear innovations.
PROPRIA’s published press and case summaries also record successful defences and favourable outcomes before EU intellectual-property bodies, underlining the firm’s practical experience with oppositions and enforcement across trademark, design and patent disputes. These firm-level successes reflect Gonella’s long-term engagement in contentious and non-contentious IP work.
Gonella has been active in professional education and outreach, delivering seminars and coursework on patent protection and innovation management for academic and industry audiences. PROPRIA’s event records list him as a speaker at universities, Area Science Park sessions and industry seminars covering topics such as patent tools, portfolio management and the protection of innovation.
These teaching engagements reinforce his role as an adviser who combines practical prosecution skills with the ability to explain IP strategy to inventors, researchers and corporate managers. His seminars have been tailored to audiences ranging from R&D teams to business executives.
Intellectual-property law in Italy sits at the intersection of national rules and European frameworks: patent prosecution and enforcement require coordination between the Italian Patent Office and European bodies, while trademarks and designs must be managed with an eye to EU and international registration systems. Specialist counsel is essential to navigate national procedures, EU institutions and cross-border enforcement.
Key challenges for Italian businesses include translating technical innovation into enforceable claims, defending rights in fast-moving markets, and structuring licensing or technology-transfer agreements that enable scaling while protecting core know-how. An adviser experienced in both prosecution and commercialisation can materially increase the value and defensibility of intangible assets.
Mario Gonella’s practice is targeted to manufacturing companies, design-driven SMEs, R&D organisations and individual inventors that require technically rigorous patent drafting, pragmatic portfolio management and effective representation in oppositions or enforcement actions. He is particularly suited to clients where product engineering and IP strategy must be closely aligned.
Whether the need is for securing priority filings, conducting freedom-to-operate studies, or structuring cross-border licensing, Gonella’s combined technical and legal experience helps clients prioritise rights that are strategically and commercially meaningful.
For businesses and individuals in Italy seeking a seasoned intellectual-property attorney in Italy, Mario Gonella offers proven credentials, decades of portfolio management experience and active representation before European IP bodies. His work at PROPRIA reflects a practice built on engineering insight, prosecutorial rigour and a commitment to helping clients convert ideas into protected, market-ready assets.
Mario Gonella is a senior intellectual-property lawyer in Italy and co-owner of PROPRIA S.r.l.; he serves as a primary adviser on complex industrial-property portfolios for Italian and international clients.
He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree and is qualified as an Italian Industrial Property Attorney, a European Patent Attorney, and a European Trademark & Design Attorney. He began his IP career in 1986, led patent functions at Nordica and Benetton Group, and became a PROPRIA partner in 2001.
Patent drafting and prosecution; strategic portfolio management; trademark and design filings; freedom-to-operate analyses; support for technology-transfer agreements; and representation in oppositions and appeals.
He serves manufacturing firms, sporting goods companies, design-driven SMEs, R&D organisations and individual inventors, especially where engineering expertise is essential to IP protection.
He blends in-house corporate patent management experience with private practice to emphasize enforceability, commercial value, and licensing potential over filings alone. He has acted as counsel of record on published European patents (including footwear innovations), contributed to successful oppositions and enforcement matters, and delivers seminars and coursework on patent protection and portfolio management.
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