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The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled on whether political expression and parody can justify the unauthorized use of a reputed trademark, examining the balance between intellectual property rights and freedom of speech. The case arose from a Belgian political party's immigration campaign that adopted IKEA's branding without permission, prompting Inter IKEA to bring infringement proceedings.

Rule 296.3 RoP is to be understood to mean that, after stayed proceedings are resumed, the applicable time limits continue to run from the date of the order resuming the proceedings, taking into account the time limits that had already expired prior to the stay of the proceedings.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has delivered a landmark judgment addressing whether political parody and freedom of expression can justify the unauthorized use of a famous trade mark. When Belgian political party Vlaams Belang appropriated IKEA's distinctive branding to promote its immigration reform programme, the resulting legal battle forced European courts to balance fundamental rights: the trade mark owner's property rights against the political actor's freedom of expression.

Granting leave to amend at a late stage would allow the applicant to change its litigation strategy after the fact. A diligent patentee should coordinate its EPO and UPC positions from the beginning, rather than reacting once parallel proceedings develop unfavorably.

The Local Division Brussels of the Unified Patent Court issued a procedural order addressing the admissibility of further written pleadings in a patent infringement dispute between Establishment Labs S.A. and GC Aesthetics entities concerning European Patent EP 3 107 487. The order examines procedural rules governing additional submissions in both the main infringement action and the related counterclaim for revocation, with considerations of accessory liability under multiple national jurisdictions.

A patent law firm seeks access to the register in proceedings involving Seventy Bio, Inc. against Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech entities, with the United States government intervening. The case concerns European Patent EP 3 689 383 and involves multiple Janssen pharmaceutical subsidiaries across Europe and Legend Biotech entities in the USA, Ireland, and Belgium.

From a trademark advisory perspective, e-commerce platform marketplaces, most notably Amazon, have added a distinct operational dimension to trademark registration.

With the growing number of online trademark infringements, rights holders are increasingly faced with cases involving multiple disputed domain names.

This month, at the Unified Patent Court (UPC), the Düsseldorf Local Division’s dismissal of Align Technology’s provisional measures application against Angelalign reinforces the applicant’s evidential...

UDRP-consolidatie biedt merkhouders een strategisch middel om geschillen over domeinnamen in één procedure te bundelen. Dit kan kosten verlagen, efficiëntie verhogen en grootschalige cybersquatting beter aanpakken.

Belgium has introduced new immigration rules for frontier workers, replacing the Annex 15 with Annex 64 and implementing specific D visa requirements for UK-based workers. Third-country nationals working in Belgium while residing in neighboring countries must now navigate updated entry and exit procedures, with different requirements based on their country of residence and nationality status.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has delivered a landmark judgment addressing whether political parody and freedom of expression can justify the unauthorized use of a famous trade mark. When Belgian political party Vlaams Belang appropriated IKEA's distinctive branding to promote its immigration reform programme, the resulting legal battle forced European courts to balance fundamental rights: the trade mark owner's property rights against the political actor's freedom of expression.

The Belgian legislator has completed the implementation of AIFMD II through the Law of 22 July 2026, introducing significant regulatory changes for investment funds and their managers. Beyond the mandatory transposition, Belgium has introduced welcome flexibilities including expanded permitted activities for UCITS management companies and AIFMs, streamlined share class creation processes, and relaxed fit and proper requirements for certain fund managers.

Belgium has transposed the EU's EmpCo Directive into national law, introducing stricter rules against greenwashing and misleading environmental claims. The new legislation expands the blacklist of unfair commercial practices and imposes additional pre-contractual information obligations on businesses. How will these changes impact companies making sustainability claims and selling products with digital elements?

Belgium's federal Chamber of Representatives has adopted a comprehensive bill introducing significant changes to pharmaceutical reimbursement procedures, including simplified approval tracks, new combination therapy rules, and an 80 million EUR annual industry contribution. The legislation also addresses drug unavailability issues and postpones certain 2024 reforms until 2028, fundamentally reshaping the financial and operational landscape for pharmaceutical companies operating in Belgium.

New Belgian legislation introduces stricter payment terms for business-to-business transactions, capping payment periods at 60 days and eliminating contractual flexibility around invoice receipt dates. The Act of 14 August 2021 strengthens protections for creditors by imposing automatic penalties on late-paying debtors, including a 10.5% interest rate and fixed recovery costs, fundamentally reshaping commercial payment practices.

The Belgian Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products has issued comprehensive new guidance on pharmaceutical promotion to healthcare professionals, consolidating previous circulars and introducing stricter...

Belgium introduces significant reforms to pharmaceutical law through the Act of 30 May 2026, addressing critical medicine shortages through enhanced export controls and stock allocation measures. The legislation also modernizes the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products' operational framework and adapts clinical trial regulations to support decentralized research models.

Starting September 1, 2026, employers in the Flemish Region will face a new EUR 180 fee for each single permit application, adding to the existing federal charge and bringing the total cost to EUR 332 per application. This regional retribution covers administrative processing costs and applies to both initial applications and renewals, with no refunds for refused applications. Employers planning to submit applications should consider doing so before the September deadline to avoid the additional expense.

Belgium has reformed its voluntary overtime system, consolidating two complex schemes into one streamlined framework while significantly increasing the annual quota from 220 to 360 hours. The changes, which entered into force retroactively on 1 April 2026, offer employers greater flexibility but introduce stricter conditions for part-time employees seeking to perform voluntary overtime work.