Italy is party to numerous international agreements and conventions for the protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), including the Paris Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the European Patent Convention, the Hague Agreement concerning the international registration of designs, the Madrid Agreement and Protocol concerning the international registration of marks, the Berne Convention and the TRIPs. As a member state of the European Union, the protection conferred by EU trademarks and Community designs applies to the Italian territory.

In 2005, a new Code of Industrial Property Rights (IP Code) was issued, which forms a unitary legal system covering all industrial property rights, including patents, utility models, trademarks, distinctive signs other than registered trademarks, designs, semiconductor topographies, new plant varieties, geographical indications, confidential business information. Copyright is regulated by an independent piece of law. Enforcement of IPRs is administered by a limited number of IP Specialized Courts.