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
Marga’s intellectual property practice covers the entire lifecycle of products, from clearance advice to complex infringement cases. She has considerable experience in all aspects of the protection and exploitation of IP rights, in particular trademarks and trade names, design rights and copyright. Especially skilled in work at the intersection of intellectual property and commercial contracts, Marga is also highly experienced in drafting and negotiating IP-driven contracts, such as licensing, distribution and other cooperation agreements, and is regularly involved in IP structuring and IP-driven mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.
Marga combines insight with energy, which has been invaluable recently in a number of landmark matters, from representing a major fashion brand in obtaining a Europe-wide injunction on the grounds of trademark infringement, to advising on a copyright dispute over the design of a chair and a footstool both considered icons of modern design, or negotiating a cooperation agreement between a growing brand and a world-famous supermodel.
Although she is acquainted with a wide variety of industry sectors, including technology, food and drink, publishing and healthcare, it is in the fields of fashion and beauty, luxury and media and entertainment that she is particularly visible. Here her clients can range from individual actors, TV presenters and entrepreneurs, through to some of the largest and most instantly recognisable luxury brands in the world.
What all these clients, large and small, appreciate is Marga’s great strategic sense and ability to get immediately to the heart of complex issues. There’s a German word, “fingerspitzengefühl”, which describes this instinctive ‘finger-tip’ feeling for the right course of action. You either have it or you don’t and – as one client noted of Marga – she has it.
Marga Verwoert has registered the following principal legal practice area in the Netherlands Bar’s register of legal practice areas (rechtsgebiedenregister):
- Intellectual property rights
Based on this registration, she is required to obtain ten training credits per calendar year in this 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.