Mr Olivier Vrins > ALTIUS > Brussels, Belgium > Lawyer Profile

With clients ranging from the Belgian Volleyball Association to the Republic of Pakistan, the practice at ALTIUS assists a broad range of organisations with legal issues such as regulatory issues under European law, intellectual property rights, data protection and litigation. Practice head Jérôme Vermeylen  handles corporate issues such as the setting-up and functioning of not-for-profits; competition expert Carmen Verdonck has a strong track record in obtaining merger control clearance from the Belgian Competition Authority; and Olivier Vrins is a key contact for IP mandates and has a notable focus on the field of designations of origin and geographical indications. Commercial specialist Gerrit Vandendriessche is a further name to note.

ALTIUS is known for its ability to guide clients such as broadcasters publishing houses and music publishers through a variety of work including IP issues, publicity rights and regulatory compliance matters. The firm is also praised for having the ‘most experienced and available team of lawyers in the Belgian sports sector’. Sports law experts Sven Demeulemeester and Grégory Ernes jointly lead the practice alongside Olivier Vrins, who excels in issues connected to copyright, brand protection and publicity rights. Alexander De Bleeckere is a known name for libel, slander and defamation cases, while Willem-Alexander Devlies further expands the sports law expertise at the firm.

The intellectual property practice at ALTIUS runs the gamut of intellectual property and unfair competition mandates with patents, parallel trade matters and geographical indications among the team’s core areas of expertise. A trio of partners head up the team: Christophe Ronse is well versed in patent law and life sciences; Olivier Vrins frequently wins plaudits for his work on anti-counterfeiting cases; and Philippe de Jong handles a steady stream of litigation related to plant variety rights. Kirian Claeyé, who made partner in September 2023, has a notable focus on patents and is a key contact for pharmaceuticals clients. Trade mark and patent litigation are strong suits of Sophie Lens, while Alexander De Bleeckere is another name to note.

Fielding ‘extensive knowledge’ in the food and beverage industry, ALTIUS assists clients across a vast variety of matters ranging from consumer protection and product liability to labelling and advertising, as well as IP enforcement. Practice heads Olivier Vrins and Philippe de Jong are both specialised in IP; de Jong focuses on patents and plant variety rights, while Vrins counts geographical indications and designations of origins amongst his areas of expertise.

The ‘very dedicated’ cross-practice offering at ALTIUS spans contentious and advisory mandates relevant to food and drink producers, agri-biotech companies, plant and animal breeders, sector organisations, and governments. Product liability cases, labelling and advertising matters, and consumer protection issues all form part of the regular workload. Philippe de Jong and Olivier Vrins bring a strong IP focus to the group.