The cohort at Leeway is well-regarded for its provision of ‘hands-on, excellent advice on all matters of IP’. The team advises clientele across industry sectors including fashion and retail, tech, and its key area of specialism, media and entertainment. A particular strength is its capabilities assisting artists and composers in the sale of music catalogues. Media specialist Eric Keyzer acts for clients across TV, radio, music and publishing. The group is also equipped to advise on global patent management, as well as trade mark and copyright litigation. Marga Verwoert leads the offering alongside the ’wonderful’ Michiel Odink. The ‘super committed’ Nini Blom is a name to note, as is the ’exquisite’ Jos Klaus.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Profile
Position
Partner, attorney-at-law
Career
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.
Content supplied by Leeway
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Michiel Haegens is a very experienced European Trademark Attorney. He knows exactly what people need. He's pragmatic and a wonderful guy to work with.’
‘Michiel Odink and Nini Blom are super committed. They have a personal approach, are smart and stand-out in their commercial thinking.’
‘Great team. Marga is always available and they provide to-the-point, real-world solutions to complex legal issues. Nini is also very independent and with attention-to-detail. ’
‘Michiel Odink is smart, fast, honest, and has a great sense of humour. Nini Blom is diligent, effective, and a great researcher with wonderful communication skills.’
‘Leeway gives hands-on, excellent advice on all matters of IP, while also considering their client's economic interests. They are easy to talk to, making working with them a real pleasure.’
‘Michiel Odink always considers the big picture and has an excellent knowledge of IP law - an expert in cross-border litigation matters; Jos Klaus is sharp-minded, excellent in client relations and very attentive; and Nini Blom is an expert in fashion IP, very engaged with clients.'
‘Jos Klaus provides exquisite and personalised treatment, and has an ability to understand the problems and quick resolutions.’
‘Michiel Haegens is an expert at what he does.’
Key clients
- Warner Bros. Discovery Inc.
- easyJet plc
- easyGroup
- HEMA B.V.
- Royal Boch BVBA
- Baidu Inc.
- Sony Music Entertainment
- Karl Lagerfeld Group
- Wonderkind
- Longchamp SAS
- Action
- Sdu Uitgevers B.V.
- PXR Media
- Looplabb B.V.
- Armada Music
- Warner Music Benelux
- 10DAYS
- The Agent-C
- The Owls Foundation
- Tronios Group International B.V.
- The Boston Consulting Group B.V.
- Calcasa B.V.
- DPG Media
- Knits Only B.V.
- Fairphone
- Lantmännen Unibake
- MagicFX B.V.
- Bernardus Inc.
- McGregor IP B.V.
- Minus Four Studio’s
- Mirage Retail Group (Miniso) B.V.
- Urban Outfitters (URBN Netherlands B.V.)
- VF Corporation (The North Face)
- Victorinox AS
- Wahl Corporation Inc.
- KODAK
- OSLO skin lab
- Telefunken Licenses Gmbh
- PAL Sporting Goods
- Enstall Group B.V.
- Pathé Thuis
- Prénatal
Work highlights
Settling a complex dispute for Longchamp, the famous, long-established French leather goods company, over its ‘Le Pliage’ handbag.
Acting for Armada Music, the world’s largest independent dance music label with the world’s largest dance music catalogue, on its acquisition of Amsterdam-based music publisher Cloud 9 Music.
Representing Looplabb BV, an innovative, high-fashion eyewear company, in its battle with French competitor, Izipizi S.A.S. over claims by Izipizi that our client’s packaging infringed its shape mark EUTM registration of its glasses packaging.