Lawyer at the Milan Bar, Supreme Court lawyer, partner, and managing partner of Canella Camaiora Law Firm.
Arlo Canella is an expert lawyer in intellectual property and TMT. He boasts over twenty years of experience in legal assistance to businesses, with advanced skills both as a litigator and in strategic support. In addition to being a founding partner of Canella Camaiora StA, Arlo serves as managing partner and is responsible for the firm’s training and communication activities.
Arlo strongly believes that legal assistance must always be sharp and effective. His goal is not only to protect clients’ rights but also to help them achieve their strategic objectives. One can speak of “superior excellence” only when the legal strategy is based on thorough research, experience, and accurate investigation of the facts, ensuring a significant impact consistent with the client’s actual interests.
Even before graduating, Arlo worked at prestigious law firms in Milan. Since 2003, he has been working at the Intellectual Property/Information Technology Department of the Pavia e Ansaldo Law Firm in Milan.
Enrolled at Bocconi University in the founding year of the CLG, Master of Laws program, in 1999, he graduated magna cum laude in the 2002/03 academic year, defending a thesis in Industrial Law entitled “The Seizure in the Field of Industrial and Intellectual Property” under the supervision of Federico Ghezzi and Mariateresa Maggiolino. Being among the first graduates in Law from Bocconi, he enjoyed a strong interdisciplinary approach, combining legal and business-economic skills.
In 2004, he became a junior associate at Studio Legale Sutti, working at its office on via Montenapoleone in Milan, specifically in the Industrial and Competition Law Department led by Simona Cazzaniga.
That same year, Arlo Canella was awarded during Bocconi University’s Graduate Day, an annual event celebrating graduates with top marks from the previous academic year. Additionally, in 2005, at the University of Turin, he attended the iLaw: Internet Law Program, organized by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. During the 2005/06 biennium, he conducted independent research, dissemination, and publication activities alongside Avv. S. Cazzaniga, covering topics such as: “Strategic and Practical Management of Trademark and Patent Disputes” (in the proceedings of the International Research Institute Conference titled “Protecting Against Counterfeiting”, Milan, November 29-30, 2005); “From Trademark Counterfeiting to Product Counterfeiting” (in the proceedings of the Cegos Italia Conference titled “Combating Counterfeiting”, Milan, May 19, 2005, and also in Diritto & Diritti, an online legal journal directed by F. Brugaletta); “How to Solve Problems with Origin Marking and Labeling in Import Export Cases” (in the proceedings of the International Research Institute Conference titled “Origin Marking, Geographical Indications, and Collective Marks”, Milan, May 24-25, 2006). Despite his young age, he combined his professional daily routine with multiple public interventions and invited conferences as an expert in intellectual/industrial property, such as: “Protection of Form” in the Master in Network Law – third edition – University of Padua, 2004; “The Look-Alike Phenomenon. Protection of Models and Suppression of Servile Imitation” – Cegos Italia, Milan 2005; “Overview of Industrial Law Institutions” in the “Preparation Course for Patent Consultants” – tenth edition – Convey, a consortium for technology transfer, Milan 2005; “Origin Marking and Labeling” – International Research Institute, Milan 2006; “Sanctions Provided by the New Legislative Decree 190 of 05/04/2006 on Food Safety” – International Research Institute, Milan 2006.
On September 4, 2008, TopLegal announced that “From a spin-off of Studio Sutti comes Canella Camaiora Law Firm”, and since its inception, Canella Camaiora Law Firm has distinguished itself in the field of intellectual property, with high-profile litigation as its core attraction.
The partnership with Daniele Camaiora proved successful, and Canella Camaiora Law Firm, established as a Law Firm Society since 2016, has been awarded for five consecutive years as one of the best Italian law firms in Intellectual Property (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024). The prestigious recognition called “The Law Firms of the Year” results from an annual survey conducted by IlSole24Ore in collaboration with Statista, a world leader in statistical data collection and analysis.
Arlo Canella, still registered with the Milan Bar Association, has been an authorized practitioner since September 22, 2005, an ordinary lawyer since October 25, 2007, and a Supreme Court lawyer since March 20, 2020.
His career is characterized by independent research, innovation, and a natural inclination for dissemination. Over the years, Arlo has been invited to participate as a speaker at several major public events. During the Fuorisalone of 2014, Arlo Canella held a seminar titled “Protecting Creativity,” organized by 3discover.it in collaboration with dwslab and Autodesk, the famous American multinational specialized in design software.
In 2015, “The Enchantment of Materialization” was the title of Arlo Canella’s presentation at the “Arthesis” event, organized by Autodesk Italy for Fuori Salone 2015, where Ember, Autodesk’s first consumer 3D printer, was introduced. Arlo Canella was invited as an expert to discuss the legal implications of Ember’s technology, with a particular focus on 3D printing applied to design law. His presentation during the main conference on April 16 earned him a special commendation from the Parco 3d association. In 2016, Arlo Canella was again invited to discuss the topic with “The Art of Protecting Design @AUTODESK’s Methesis,” an event again sponsored by Autodesk with Sisma and Lenovo for Fuorisalone 2016.
Arlo Canella was invited to tell the story of Italian design by Mostrami Factory, for Fondazione Bracco, with “Everyday Art: A Journey Through Time on the Legal Protection of Forms,” a course-event on iconic forms of Italian design, held on September 30, 2015, at the historic Bracco chemical-pharmaceutical factory in Via Folli 50, Milan.
As early as 2015, Arlo Canella was addressing the topic of digital transformation, contributing as a speaker to the “HP Roadshow: Building the Digital Enterprise” event, promoted by Hewlett Packard in collaboration with IDC Italia, held in Milan on October 27, 2015. During this event, he discussed strategies for digital transformation of businesses, with a particular focus on document management and process optimization.
In 2016, he was invited as an expert of excellence at the University of Ferrara, where he gave a presentation titled “Patents and Intellectual Property in Design” during the event “The Professional Growth of Young Designers” (April 18, 2016). On this occasion, he shared his knowledge and expertise with young designers, providing them with an overview of the legal challenges in the field of intellectual property.
The course “How to Protect an Innovative Idea®“, conceived by Lawyer Arlo Canella, was first presented in 2015 at Impact Hub in Milan. The event led to a collaboration in 2016 with Valentina Panizza and her innovative startup Proofy®, specializing in copyright protection, achieving significant success. Dr. Panizza, an economist and consultant for SMEs and Startups, chose Lawyer Canella to explain the basics of intellectual property to the public in an accessible and engaging manner. In just an hour and a half, the most iconic course of the Canella Camaiora firm covers topics such as idea protection, patents, trademarks, designs, and copyright, offering a clear and practical overview of the main rules governing the world of intellectual property. “How to Protect an Innovative Idea®” became, from 2016 to 2020, a national touring event, eventually transforming into a live webinar which, thanks to constant public approval, is replicated annually by the Canella Camaiora law firm.
Arlo Canella was Vice President of the Young Group of Confapi Milan starting May 2, 2016. In this role, he had the opportunity to contribute significantly to the support and development of startups and young entrepreneurial realities in the territory.
During the Seeds&Chips Global Food Innovation Summit of 2017, one of the world’s leading events in the field of Food Innovation, Arlo Canella participated in the thematic roundtable “Food Creation – protecting food authors” (May 8, 2017), held at the InnoVits booth.
Additionally, Arlo Canella participated in the roundtable “A conversation with policy-makers on DiDIY,” coordinated by Luca Orlando of IlSole24Ore. The event, part of the DiDIY (Digital Do It Yourself) project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 program, explored the legal, social, and economic implications of digitalization and digital DIY. The roundtable, held on June 22, 2017, at Palazzo Pirelli in Milan, saw the participation of experts and policymakers who discussed the challenges and opportunities related to DiDIY.
Since 2021, Arlo Canella and the Canella Camaiora Law Firm have been actively collaborating with the Autori di Immagini association (formerly the Italian Illustrators Association) to provide qualified legal assistance to illustrators, cartoonists, and designers. This initiative is part of the firm’s aim to support and enhance the creative profession, offering concrete tools for the protection of authors’ rights and promoting a culture of legality and intellectual protection in the visual arts sector. Among the webinar formats created by Lawyer Canella, to be discussed later, it is worth noting that the one dedicated to the world of illustrators, introduced in 2021, “Law for Illustrators: From Creation to Contracts“, holds the absolute record for attendance on the Zoom platform with over 2,000 registered users.
Arlo Canella is often invited as an expert to speak at institutional events. In addition to those already mentioned in the previous paragraphs that occurred early in his career and the prestigious collaborations and invited speeches at events organized by multinationals and institutions active in the innovation and creativity sector, on March 6, 2018, Arlo Canella was a guest at the “Startup Europe Week Rome 2018” event in the Promoteca Hall in the Capitol in Rome. On this occasion, he presented a special, condensed version of his tour-event “How to Defend an Innovative Idea®,” dedicated to the world of technology and startups. This speech was particularly significant both for the prestigious context and the caliber of the speakers present, providing startups with practical tools for protecting their innovative ideas in the technological context.
Moreover, he has participated in several events organized by the Youth Table of the Milan Monza Brianza Lodi Chamber of Commerce, contributing his expertise as a legal expert in the field of intellectual property. Notably, on September 17, 2019, he took part in the International Youth Table at the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, where he discussed internationalization opportunities for Italian startups in the fashion and design sector, providing valuable advice on how to legally protect their creations internationally. On April 11, 2019, he also participated as an expert in the Youth Table debate on Design and Circular Economy applied to the Smart City.
The Canella Camaiora law firm and Arlo Canella have collaborated with Fondazione Enaip Lombardia at various times, specifically in the years 2019-2020 and 2022-2023. This collaboration focused on offering training courses in the cultural sector, funded by the Lombardy Region and the European Social Fund. During the 2019-2020 biennium, the courses offered covered various topics related to cultural heritage management, integrated digital communication, cultural fundraising, and event organization, with a particular focus on the management and movement of cultural assets, curating contemporary art exhibitions, and the use of advanced multimedia technologies such as virtual and augmented reality.
In the 2022-2023 period, the collaboration was renewed with the introduction of courses targeting specific topics such as social media management, search engine optimization (SEO and SEM), and multimedia design for culture. Lawyers Arlo Canella and Daniele Camaiora enthusiastically participated as lecturers in the initiative, bringing their experience and expertise in the cultural sector, intellectual property, and legal aspects of the Third Sector.
Arlo Canella is often invited as a lecturer in courses and masterclasses. For instance, in 2023, he participated as a lecturer in the Corporate Lawyer Master organized by Radar Academy, where he covered topics such as trademark protection, unfair competition, intellectual property, and patents, sharing his extensive experience in industrial law.
Furthermore, Arlo Canella was a visiting lecturer at the Politecnico di Milano 1863 – School of Design, where on October 12, 2023, he gave a lecture titled “Copyright on the Internet and Social Media: Photographs, Music, and Videos.”
In 2024, the Canella Camaiora law firm was chosen by Banca Progetto for a series of webinars focused on protecting business creativity and dedicated to its Business Place portal. The firm’s lawyers covered various topics related to intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and know-how protection strategies, demonstrating the firm’s expertise in supporting SMEs in protecting their innovations and intangible assets. The success of the initiative highlighted the expertise of the Canella Camaiora firm in providing strategic legal assistance in the SME world, confirming its leading role in the intellectual property sector.
Arlo Canella taught for the Executive Master organized by TopLegal Academy in 2024, focusing on the importance of intellectual property (IP) in venture capital. Arlo Canella used a historical, at times dystopian, metaphor illustrated in the article: “Isabella of Castile, the First Venture Capitalist,” to explain how IP protection can influence the success of extraordinary companies. He covered topics such as software protection, know-how, copyright, patents, and trademarks, highlighting how a solid IP strategy can increase the value of startups and reduce risks for investors. The participants’ satisfaction was so high that Canella was chosen to teach in the Intellectual Property & Copyright Master by TopLegal Academy for the 2024 edition. TopLegal Academy relies on top-level lecturers, including the best professionals in TMT, Digital, and Fintech, lawyers and corporate lawyers, representatives of Public Authorities, and professors from Italian and foreign universities. This ensures the participants of the Masters an excellent training experience, with technical insights and inspirations for contemporary legal and business challenges.
Arlo Canella is also the creator of a series of dissemination formats that have been highly successful and have become regular events for professionals and entrepreneurs who wish to deepen their knowledge in the field of intellectual property. Among these, the most notable are:
Thanks to his experience, competence, and ability to make complex subjects accessible, Arlo Canella has significantly contributed to the training and legal protection of numerous professionals and businesses.
Intellectual property includes all intangible assets such as trademarks, patents and copyright.
In order to defend a company's image and identity on the market, you need to have a profound understanding of it.