Industry focus: Media and entertainment

Thomas focuses on competition and antitrust law in Belgium and the EU. He is a skilled and experienced litigator before the Belgian courts and represents complainants and defendants in investigations before the Belgian Competition Authority and the European Commission. He represents clients in merger control matters and has developed pan-European antitrust compliance and training programs for multinational companies. He is involved in complex litigation affecting the TMT sector and advises on distribution issues, technology licensing, big data, joint bidding, standard setting, trade associations, pricing by dominant companies, etc. He assists clients on e-commerce and Internet-related issues and drafts and negotiates complex telecommunication agreements such as MVNO deals or interconnection agreements. He regularly represents one of Flanders' main players in the field of internet, telephony and interactive digital TV in contentious and non-contentious matters. Thomas has inter alia successfully represented online and land-based bookmakers in litigation against government-owned incumbent operators.

Partner

Jan-Diederik is a partner and a versatile litigator with two decades of experience in defending his clients’ interests in ex parte, preliminary and permanent injunction proceedings, and in accelerated and standard proceedings on the merits. Issues dealt with relate to e.g., patents, trademarks, copyright, design, trade secrets, unfair competition. Although adversarial court proceedings are his forte, he is frequently consulted by clients in pre-trial matters (e.g., pre-trial discovery, trade secrets compliance and anti-counterfeiting strategy). He advises on non-contentious matters relating to licensing or transfer of IP, (re)structuring IP-portfolios, joint ventures and other creative/technological collaboration forms. Representing a wide range of clients active in sectors driven by technology, innovation and creativity (e.g., the pharmaceutical, biotechnological, advertising, media, entertainment, fashion industries), he focuses on complex and strategical legal advice with an immediate impact on his clients’ business. Thanks to his involvement in various international and cross-border matters, Jan-Diederik has an impressive global network and is often invited to act as lead attorney in multijurisdictional matters. His experience and large number of publications make him a popular speaker at international conferences.