Leeway

Partner, attorney-at-law

Michiel is a specialist in intellectual property and media law with a particular focus on acting for clients in the digital business and retail sectors. Experienced in a wide range of international IP work, from IP transactions (including complex joint ventures, M&A deals and licensing structures), to IP litigation up to Supreme Court level, he is particularly focused on trademark and trade name, design right and copyright matters. In addition, as a leading force in media and entertainment work, he boasts wide-ranging expertise in digital media and content issues, including such niche areas as TV formats, music publishing, and collective rights, as well as betting and gaming laws, advertising, libel and slander cases, and franchising, distribution and agency matters.

Retail is another particularly important industry sector for Michiel and his name is inextricably linked with the names of many of the region’s largest retailers. However his experience spans a number of other significant industry sectors, from advertising and marketing, broadcasting, music and publishing (both traditional and new media), to telecoms, fashion and beauty and information technology.

Clients praise Michiel’s combination of technical expertise and efficiency with a laser-like focus on their needs and constraints, which is music to the ears of a lawyer who gets real satisfaction from acting as a trusted advisor to exciting and ambitious businesses. Whatever the matter, Michiel is keen to gain a deep understanding of his clients’ businesses so that he can provide commercial advice on the most business-critical developments – ambitious and innovative expansion plans are his meat and drink.

This commercial acumen has been put to good use recently in establishing the Netherlands operations of a number of leading international media and music companies.

Before establishing Leeway Advocaten, Michiel was a partner at Osborne Clarke and Baker McKenzie where he headed the IP & Media departments. He worked at international law firms for more than 16 years, starting his career at Allen & Overy in Amsterdam, and in 2006/2007 worked as a foreign attorney at Fenwick & West LLP in San Francisco in the Licensing, IP and Technology Transactions Group.

Michiel Odink has registered the following principal (and secondary) legal practice areas in the Netherlands Bar’s register of legal practice areas (rechtsgebiedenregister):

Intellectual Property rights / Media & Entertainment law

Based on this registration, he is required to obtain ten training credits per calendar year in each registered principal legal practice area in accordance with the standards set by the Netherlands Bar.