Gianni Cattaneo

Presentation

Gianni CATTANEO offers legal advice in a broad spectrum of practices, such as corporate, banking, contract and commercial law. He is specialised in matters concerning technology, in particular: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Distributed ledger technology (DLT) / Blockchain, Digital health, transparency in public administration, Internet law, Telecommunication law, Media law, IT law, E-Commerce and Software as well as Data Protection (FADP and Cantonal Data Protection Law LPDP), Information security (LSIn) and Privacy.

He advises companies and individuals on complex M&A transactions, particularly in banking, real estate and industrial law (including legal due diligence activities). Gianni Cattaneo is a member of the Ticino Cantonal Data Protection and Information Committee since 2016. Furthermore, he is a lecturer at the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuisse) and advises prospective company founders at the Startup Centre of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI).

In addition, Gianni Cattaneo has extensive experience in Intellectual Property law with a special focus on national and international trademark registration and protection and offers legal advice and representation in copyright’s matters.

As a civil law notary, he performs traditional notarial duties in the aeras of real estate, corporate and inheritance. He has been a member, vice president and chairman of the board of Ticino Notary Association in the period 2016 – 2022. He also serves as an arbitrator in national and international commercial disputes, in which area he acquired the title of Fellow of London’s Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). Gianni Cattaneo is author of numerous publications and a frequent speaker at national and international conferences in his aeras of expertise.

He also teaches communication law at the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and technology-related subjects at the University of applied sciences and arts of southern Switzerland (SUPSI), the Chamber of Commerce of the Canton of Ticino (CC-TI) and the Journalism School of Southern Switzerland. Gianni Cattaneo is also chairman and member of the board of various humanitarian foundations and private companies.

Specialisms

Education and Training

Professional Experience

• 2002 | Apprenticeship at District Court of Mendrisio-Nord (Judge Beroggi)
• 2003-2004 | Training practice at Law Firm Bolla, Bonzanigo e Associati, Lugano
• 2005-2017 | Lawyer at Law Firm Cattaneo & Postizzi, Lugano
• 2009-2017 | Civil Law Notary at Law Firm Cattaneo & Bionda, Lugano
• since 2008 | International Arbitrator, Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution (SCAI)
• since 2016 | Member of the Cantonal Data Protection Commission
• since 2018 | Member / Chairman of the board of various humanitarian foundations
• since 2018 | Lawyer and Civil Law Notary / Partner at Studio legale e notarile CBM, Lugano
• since 2022 | Member of the board of directors of a company operating in the telecommunication sector (international group)

Other activities

• since 2009 | Appointed lecturer in Internet and IT Law at University of applied sciences and arts of southern Switzerland (SUPSI); permanent lecturer, among others, in IT Law within MAS SUPSI in IT Management and Governance, CAS SUPSI in Digital Forensics, MAS in Library and Information Science, MAS in Business Law and Business Crime, CAS GDPR & Data Protection Officer, CAS Fintech, MAS Business Law, CAS Health Law, CAS Generative Artificial Intelligence and TREX course – Trust expert
• since 2011 | ATED speaker, especially in the following fields: drone law, digital inheritance, GDPR, personal data protection, privacy
• 2014 – 2018 | Member of the IT Committee of the Ticino Bar Association (OATI)
• since 2015 | Lecturer in Law at Camera di Commercio e dell’industria e dell’artigianato del Canton Ticino (CC-TI)
• since 2015 | Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law and Creativity Protection for the Startup and entrepreneurship programme (Innosuisse – Swiss Innovation Agency) in cooperation with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), SUPSI, and USI Startup Centre
• 2016 – 2022 | Member / Vice-President and Chairman of the Board of Ticino Notary Association (OdNTI)
• since 2016 | Lecturer at Centro Studi Villa Negroni, in the following modules: Fintech, Blockchain, ICO/TGE/STO, Cybercrime in the banking sector, IT and trust activity (Organismo di Autodisciplina dei Fiduciari del Cantone Ticino – OAD FCT) and CAS Insurance e Management
• since 2016 | Fellow at Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), London
• 2018 – 2022 | Chairman of the IT Committee of Ticino Notary Association (OdNTI)
• since 2019 | Lecturer in Communication Law at the Journalism School of the Canton of Ticino
• since 2022 | B4B – Blockchain for Business (beginner and advanced course) USI / SUPSI / Franklin University on legal and regulatory aspects (FINMA) in DLT, blockchain, cryptocurrency and Fintech
• since 2022 | Lecturer in Communication Law at the faculty of communication, culture and society of the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) in relation to the Master of Science in Media Management and Digital Fashion Communication programs, the latter offered as a “double degree” by USI and the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

Publications

• Introduzione al diritto svizzero dell’informatica e di internet, Lugano 2011 (DTI SUPSI)
• Gianni Cattaneo / Ilario Lodi / Alessandro Trivilini, Genitori nella Rete, Locarno 2014
• La perspective alternative: oublier sans effacer,  contribution with various authors, Le droit à l’oubli: du mythe à la réalité, Losanna 2015 (CEDIDAC – Centro di diritto dell’impresa, diritto industriale, diritto d’autore e diritto commerciale dell’Università di Losanna)
• I delitti contro l’onore commessi online, RtiD II 2016, p. 397 et seqq.
• Gianni Cattaneo / Bertil Cottier, L’azienda svizzera e i cookies: regole ed adempimenti attuali e futuri in diritto svizzero e in prospettiva europea, RtiD II 2017, p. 405 et seqq.
• Commentary in collaboration with Francesco Trezzini on Articles 130, 139 and 143 of the Swiss Code of Civil Procedure (e-Justice) in Francesco Trezzini / Stefano Fornara / Bruno Cocchi / Francesca Verda Chiocchetti, Commentario pratico al Codice di diritto processuale civile svizzero (CPC), Lugano 2017
• Gianni Cattaneo / Andrea Porrini / Simone Albisetti, Fattispecie qualificate di costituzione e aumento del capitale nella società anonima: prassi, criticità ed evoluzioni, in RtiD II 2019, p. 837 et seqq.
• Dal segreto professionale alla protezione dei dati personali, contribution with various authors , Professione: avvocato – Sguardi e Metamorfosi, Basel 2021 (Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag)
• Commentary on Articles 57, 58, 59 and 67 of the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) in Commentaire Romand LPD, Basilea 2023 (Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag)
• Gianni Cattaneo / Andrea Porrini / Simone Albisetti, Fattispecie qualificate e criptovalute, in REPRAX – Zeitschrift zur Rechtsetzung und Praxis in Gesellschafts- und Handelsregisterrecht, 2023, p. 161 et seqq. (Schulthess Verlag)
• Legge federale sulla protezione dei dati (nLPD) e Ordinanza sulla protezione dei dati (nOPDa): struttura, principi e obblighi nel settore privato, contribution with various authors , Protezione dei dati personali: orizzonte 2023, Basel 2023 (Helbing Lichtenhahn Verlag)

Professional Memberships