Chemicals & Advanced Materials
Chemicals and advanced materials underpin most industrial supply chains and consumer products, and the legal issues they raise call for a precise understanding of the composition of substances, of production processes and of their effects. LGV Avvocati assists multinational chemical groups, manufacturers of industrial chemicals and professional cleaning solutions, cosmetics companies, clothing operators and businesses active in biotechnology and medical technology. In this sector, the firm’s work ranges from regulatory advice on the use of chemical substances, starting with obligations under the REACH Regulation and risk assessment techniques, and assistance in administrative proceedings and in dealings with the competent authorities, to the protection of distinctive signs, reputation management and judicial and out-of-court patent litigation concerning substances, formulations and processes. Analysing the chemical composition of products also makes it possible to assess their suitability for specific uses and the lawfulness of the claims under which they are marketed.
Significant experience
- LGV Avvocati was one of the first law firms to work on the REACH Regulation, providing assistance also before the competent central authorities. In the same field, it has handled administrative proceedings aimed at determining the extent to which hazardous substances may be used, drawing on risk assessment techniques.
- For more than ten years, a US multinational group that is a global leader in hygiene, water treatment and infection prevention solutions entrusted the firm with wide-ranging assistance, including reputation management and the protection of the group’s distinctive signs.
- Patent litigation concerning multi-component adhesive and binding substances was handled for the Italian company of a German group that is one of the world leaders in foundry chemicals.
- Of a different nature was the out-of-court patent dispute in which LGV Avvocati represented an Italian natural cosmetics company against one of the world’s largest chemical groups.
- The firm also represented a Swiss company providing professional cleaning solutions, a pioneer in the development of dry chemical cleaning products.
- Other disputes required an examination of the chemical composition of garments with regard to the use of latex, cork and PVC, in order to determine the consequences for the products’ suitability for specific uses and for the lawfulness of the claims accompanying them.
- Related fields include assistance to companies that produce and manage canine DNA samples and to an operator in phototherapy, a technology that uses controlled doses of ultraviolet, LED or fluorescent light to treat skin disorders, mood and sleep conditions and neonatal jaundice: a mandate that required a thorough understanding of the technical and biological mechanisms underlying the devices. Also in the field of light sources, the firm has carried out assessments of the risks arising from the replacement of traditional lamps with LED lamps.