Our Belgian office offers local and international clients a first-class team of over 45 multi-lingual lawyers, all highly skilled in their chosen areas of specialisation and with significant expertise.
We cover all areas of business law and have developed an enhanced degree of specialist knowledge in selected key sectors such as aviation and aerospace, banking and finance, communications, IT, E-commerce, EU and competition, life sciences, media and sports.
Located in Brussels, at the heart of the European decision-making community, we are well placed to closely follow and even influence the developments of European law, particularly in our chosen sectors. This enables us to keep our clients abreast of key developments in EU law.
For more information about how we can help you in Belgium, please contact heads of our Brussels’ office Paul Hermant or Bruno Vandermeulen.
Recent highlights of work
Lately we have been helping:
● Delphi Automotive: Obtaining EU merger control clearance and coordinating merger control notifications in Turkey, China, Korea, Brazil and the US for Delphi's acquisition of the Motorized Vehicles business of FCI, a manufacturer of automotive connectors.
● Belgacom-Scarlet: Representing Belgacom in the landmark Scarlet case, where the CJEU considered that court injunctions requiring internet access providers to install global and upstream filtering systems with a view to preventing copyright infringements are precluded since they would amount to a prohibited general monitoring obligation and would further fail to strike a fair balance between the fundamental rights at stake - including the fundamental right of ISPs to conduct their business. On this occasion, the Court also put an end to another controversy by stating for the first time that the IP addresses are protected personal data.
● Nespresso: We represent innovative coffee company Nespresso in a long lasting and intensive patent litigation about the alleged indirect infringement of several European patents by the commercialisation of competing coffee capsules, brought on the market by its competitor Sara Lee (now Douwe Egberts Master Blenders 1753), for use in Nespresso coffee machines.
● Ethias: Sale of Ethias Bank NV / Ethias Banque SA (Ethias Bank) by Ethias SA/NV, one of the leading insurance groups in Belgium.
● Pharma.be (www.pharma.be) (Belgian pharmaceutical sector organisation): Our team assists, on a continued basis, sector organisation pharma.be in various fields of pharmaceutical law and public law and regulations, such as medicinal products and medical devices regulations (clinical trials, marketing, advertising, pricing and reimbursement), regulations on the procurement and use of human cells and tissues and related biobanking activities, as well as the process of implementation of public procurement rules on the health sector, and more specifically hospitals.
Accolades
"The team presents an excellent sounding board, which has a positive impact on our business strategy." "It's a very multi-jurisdictional team, so is well positioned to handle international cases."
Chambers & Partners Europe 2012
"This well-established IT practice offers a range of services to respected players in the technology field. The lawyers have a sound knowledge of IT contracting and data protection issues, and are also recognised for their solid litigation skills."
Chambers & Partners Europe 2012
"This well-respected outfit has reasserted its market position in recent times, winning new mandates for several big-ticket clients. It operates in a wide variety of sectors including pharmaceuticals, technology and luxury goods, earning widespread praise for its achievements in all areas of IP. "Excellent service from a highly knowledgeable and co-operative team. The lawyers have really proved themselves and perform exceptionally well."
Chambers & Partners Europe 2012
"Bird & Bird handles privacy cases with a cross-border element, utilising its broad network of offices, and is praised for its proactive approach and 'quick response times'. It strives to provide ‘feasible advice based on a realistic assessment, in order to achieve the least damaging result for the organisation'."
Legal 500 EMEA 2012
"(About our corporate practice) Bird & Bird's solutions-driven team meets deadlines".
Legal 500 EMEA 2012
"Bird & Bird has developed a strong regulatory practice, which is adept at advising on issues as varied as advertising, clinical trials, and public procurement in the hospital sector."
Legal 500 EMEA 2012