TEAM MEMBERS
Prof. Isabella Ferrari: graduated cum laude in Law at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and she later received her Ph.D. in Comparative law at the University of Palermo. She has been research and teaching assistant to prof. Maria Donata Panforti (peer review expert for EU programs; independent advisor for EU Council programs; member of the board of directors for the Italian Society of Comparative Law, the Association H.Capitant des Amis de la Culture Juridique Française, the National Academy of Science, Humanities, Arts, the Italian Association of Linguistic, the International Society of Family Law, etc.), collaborating in the two Jean Monnet Modules No. 529762-LLP-2012-IT-AJM-MO and 529741-LLP-2012- IT-AJM-MO.
Prof. Ferrari has worked around the globe, researching and studying in 2016 in Japan (University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences), in 2013 in Germany (Institut für ausländisches und internationales Privat und Wirtschaftsrecht der Universität Heidelberg, Der Ruprecht Karls Universität Heidelberg), in 2011 in China (Peking University, Law School) and Hong Kong (City University, Law School); in 2008/09 in U.S.A. (Harvard Law School); in 2007 in UK (London School of Economics), in 2004 in The Netherlands (Leyden-Columbia University Summer Program in American Law); in 1998 in U.S.A. (UCSD summer programme on American law); in 1996 in The Netherlands (individual pupil mobility within EU).
Since 2019, Prof. Ferrari has returned to Italy, as Associate Professor of Comparative Private Law at the Department of Engineering ‘Enzo Ferrari’, Unimore. The approximately 20 years of experience abroad (during which she has always maintained academic contacts with Italy, where she has returned to give lectures, seminars and participate in conferences) were necessary to frame her research in a broader context, in the belief that comparative studies must go beyond the purely legal analysis, to appreciate the cultural and sociological substrate of reference, as founding elements of each legal system.
Prof. Ferrari is a member of the scientific committee of MUNER-Motorvehicle University of Emilia Romagna and of the joint doctoral course on legal education of Unimore and University of Parma; she is a member of AUSE-Association of University Studies on the EU, of the Italian Society of the Harvard School, of the European Harvard Society, of the Foundation of Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America, of the International Society of Family Law, of the Italian Society of Comparative Law, of CÆDIC-Centre of Comparative Law, of Italy-China Science and Technology, of ADI-Italian Women’s Association in Tokyo, of the Modena Bar Association.
Prof. Ferrari is also a consultant in international and comparative law for the Italian Banking Association (as member of the 2021 Task Force on Artificial Intelligence), for Unimore (within the DINO Project-Disability Inclusion through remote control in low Network Operation; MASA-Modena Automotive Smart Area, the Automotive Academy, and the Robomore working group, which is part to the EUrobotics network).
Other staff members: Engineers from the proposing department and from local enterprises (car manufacturers and companies collaborating with Unimore within the MUNER-University of the Vehicle of Emilia Romagna) have already expressed their availability for in-kind contributions.
They will participate with direct testimony on trademark and patent applications submitted in the past on their own behalf, for Unimore or for the company they work for, as well as on investigations carried out prior to the application and any subsequent litigation. Respecting the privacy of the companies, direct examples from the engineering industry (i.e., from the same sector as the target audience) will facilitate the approach with non-legal students.