On 1 May 2026 at the Managing IP Awards night in London SIB and SIB LEX both received Managing IP Europe Impact Case of the Year 2026 awards for the Dainese vs. Alpinestars case before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

What is the impact of the Dainese vs. Alpinestars UPC case?

Before the UPC

The Dainese vs. Alpinestars case is a landmark in the early stage of the UPC, as it addresses complex and novel issues concerning the UPC’s competence over national portions of a European patent in different states.

In particular, the case sets important precedents for cross-border litigation strategies within Europe.

The technical field of the case is wearable airbag systems for motorcyclists.

Beyond the UPC

The dispute between Dainese and Alpinestars forms part of a broader, multi-jurisdictional litigation framework beyond the UPC.

Parallel proceedings are pending before the District Court of California, initiated by Dainese for the alleged infringement of US Patent No. 12,012,065, as well as before the Commercial Division of the Court of First Instance of Madrid, where Alpinestars has brought an action concerning the validity of the Spanish validation ES2976045 of European Patent EP 4 072 364.

The team working on the case

A highly coordinated, cross-disciplinary team of professionals from SIB and its partner law firm SIB LEX worked on the case before the UPC, which required technical patent expertise in the specific field of technology as well as strategic litigation capabilities across jurisdictions, particularly with regard to jurisdictional reach and the handling of multi-country patent enforcement.

Seamless integration between SIB patent attorneys and SIB LEX litigators was essential in navigating the procedural and substantive challenges posed by the relatively new judicial framework of the UPC.

Lead professionals in the case before the UPC

• SIB partner Davide Rondano is a European Patent Attorney with over 25 years’ experience particularly in the fields of mechanics, robotics and medical devices; he has a strong track record as technical counsel in patent litigation.
• SIB LEX partner Mario Pozzi is an Attorney at law specialising in intellectual property litigation and strategy, with experience of cross-border and multi-jurisdictional patent litigation including proceedings before the UPC and a focus on mechanics, telecoms and pharma.

SIB and SIB LEX are honoured to receive Managing IP’s “Europe Impact Case of the Year 2026” Award for the team’s work in the UPC proceedings between Dainese and Alpinestars. We are grateful to our client Dainese for entrusting us with such a strategically significant case.