Janson’s IP practice is widely recognised for its strong litigation focus and track record in complex intellectual property disputes, including trade secrets cases (with specific experience in disputes involving former employees). Our lawyers represent clients before the Belgian courts, the General Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Unified Patent Court, and are regularly appointed as counsel, arbitrators or third-party deciders in IP-related proceedings before arbitral tribunals and dispute resolution bodies.
The team also advises clients on the protection, management and strategic exploitation of their IP portfolios, including through IP-related agreements such as R&D agreements, consortium agreements (with specific expertise in EU-funded projects), technology transfer agreements, security interests over IP assets, non-disclosure agreements, merchandising and sponsoring agreements.
Janson is also regularly consulted for IP audits and due diligence in the context of corporate transactions.
The practice further assists clients with data protection and IT matters, including GDPR compliance, service level agreements, software development projects and cybersecurity issues.
Practice contacts
Mireille Buydens
m.buydens@janson.be
Hans Dhondt
h.dhondt@janson.be
Charles Bernard
c.bernard@janson.be
Team
Gregor Milos
Services
Intellectual property advice
Representation before Belgian Courts, EU Courts & the Unified Patent Court – specific experience in patent reinstatement proceedings
Representation before the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property (BOIP) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
Assistance in conflicts relating to unfair competition, trade secrets (including disputes with former employees), media law, freedom of speech, defamation
Advice relating to artificial intelligence issues.
IP contracts: transfers, licenses, R&D, NDAs, consortium agreements, security interests (pledges) over IP assets, merchandising and sponsoring agreements.
GDPR compliance & DPA representation
IP due diligence
Arbitration (national & international)
Our experience, some examples
Representation of a public entity before the Belgian courts, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Constitutional Court and the Council of State in relation with a neighboring rights dispute.
Intervention as an expert in Belgian patent law before the High Court of Justice (UK).
Assisting a major Belgian publisher in a dispute concerning alleged copyright infringement.
Management and preparation of Horizon 2020 and Horizons Europe technology consortia.
Representation of a consortium of European companies and universities in a dispute concerning a Horizon 2020 consortium agreement.
Advice and assistance to a money transfer HUB and a licensed payment institution in Belgium in its negotiations and contracts with various IT suppliers.
Advice and assistance to a well-known multinational non-food retailer, specializing in the distribution of consumer goods and services, in the negotiation and drafting of a complex IT agreement (and multiple ancillary agreements) with a leading global supplier of IT services, software and hardware for the financial and retail sectors.
Representation of a French furniture and design company in several copyright infringement disputes.
Representation of a renowned electronics company in a cross-border patent infringement dispute.
Representation of an American company and its Belgian subsidiary in a patent dispute in Belgium and France.
Representing a Dutch company specializing in the manufacture and supply of wear parts before the UPC in a patent conflict with a direct competitor.
Representation of an American biotech company in patent litigation against the Belgian State.
Representation of a Japanese pharmaceutical company in a patent dispute (supplementary protection certificate) against a French company and a research institute.
Assistance and representation of a major global fashion group in a multi-jurisdictional copyright and trademark dispute with an Italian, French, American and Belgian company.
Assistance and representation of an official sports federation in a trademark conflict against a leading editor of magazines.
Representation of a medical device manufacturer in a cross-border dispute concerning trade secret violations.
Representing one of the leading companies in the sector of wood protection in a conflict with its former employee (and the company that he joined after leaving our client) regarding trade secrets.
Representation of a multinational food company in various proceedings concerning the marketing of similar products by retailers.
Representation of journalists from an anti-disinformation association in a press law dispute against an international media company.
Academic & scientific work
Mireille Buydens is Professor of Patent Law at the University of Liège and Professor of Information and Communication Law at the Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Mireille Buydens is President of the Belgian Intellectual Property Council (Ministry of Economy, Industrial Property Section).
Charles Bernard is a lecturer in patent litigation at Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI, Université of Strasbourg, France).
The team has published numerous books and articles over the past few years, including the following :
H. Dhondt, “Got a Secret? But how can you keep it?”, ECTA Bulletin, June 2024 (issue XXIX), p. 13.
C. Bernard, « Prescription et forclusion des actions fondées sur le droit Benelux des marques : droit belge », BMM Bulletin, 2023/2, p.76.
M. Buydens, « Comment justifier la propriété intellectuelle au XXIème siècle », in Les propriétés intellectuelles en mouvement, Irpi Editions, Paris, 2023, pp.201-238.
C. Bernard, « Jetons non fongibles et droit d’auteur : poule aux œufs d’or ou miroir aux alouettes ? », Ing.-Cons., 2022/4, p.811.
M. Buydens, «Droit des brevets d'invention», Larcier, Brussels, 2d ed., 2020.
J. Cassiman en H. Dhondt, “Grenzen aan de uitputting - Kan een merkhouder zich steeds verzetten tegen de wederverkoop van "refurbished" producten op grond van een wijziging in de toestand van de waar?” DAOR 2019, afl. 130, p. 95.
M. Buydens « L’intelligence artificielle et le droit : vertiges en terre inconnue », Revue internationale des services financiers, 2019/3-4, p. 47.
C. Bernard, « L’exigence de « destination » concernant l’offre d’utilisation de procédé : une différence de traitement justifiée ? », Ing.-Cons., 2017/3, p.446.
M. Buydens « L’originalité des œuvres des arts appliqués en Europe : vers une harmonisation ? », Revue Propriétés Intellectuelles, avril 2017, n° 63, p. 9.
