Pieter Van Den Broecke

Pieter specialises in intellectual property (IP) and technology-related matters, advising major corporates and international financial institutions on their pan-European and global businesses. He leads the firm’s IP practice in Belgium.

Pieter has significant experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters involving IP, with a particular focus on dispute resolution with respect to patents, trademarks and copyrights.

His expertise also extends to the negotiation and drafting of contracts relating to all aspects of IP and IP strategic alliances and carve-outs (R&D, licences, technology transfers and joint ventures) and of other related types of collaboration (including business development and licensing (BD&L), IP aspects of corporate deals and structured finance, including securitisation), as well as advertising and unfair competition law.

Pieter has in-depth knowledge of many sectors, notably the life science, healthcare and consumer sectors. Previously, he was co-leader of the firm’s global consumer sector.

Work highlights

Pieter’s most recent experience includes advising:

Contentious matters

• A global chemicals player in its defence strategy relating to patent infringement proceedings, following a search and seizure order enforced against it at its premises
• Tate & Lyle on it defending a patent infringement claim brought by a competitor in Belgium, France and the UK
• Amazon in various copyright disputes against European collective rights management companies looking to claim levies
• McDonald’s as a plaintiff in a defamation case before the Brussels courts
• A multinational F&B holding company on pan-European patent infringement proceedings involving the launching of multiple court cases in Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands

Non-contentious matters

• Linde on the global IP coordination of its merger with Praxair and various antitrust triggered divestitures that were perfected as a result thereof
• A global payment service provider on various EU- and Benelux- related trademark and licensing issues, often involving complex dealings with banks and other licensees
• A global provider of financial messaging services on the drafting and negotiation of reseller, distribution and other bespoke type of software agreements
• ING and KBC on the IP structuring, and the drafting and negotiation of several agreements relating to the set-up of their digital payment platform “Payconiq”
• Agfa on patent and software related issues triggered by the sale of its IT healthcare business to Dedalus Holding
• Galapagos on licensing and antitrust issues with respect to the collaboration and BD&L agreements entered into with Gilead

Pieter is a member of INTA, the Intellectual Trademark Association.

Among other publications, he wrote the Belgium chapter, Patent Litigation 2020, Chambers and Partners, with Tom de Coster.

Pieter studied law at the University of Ghent and holds a master’s in intellectual property from the Catholic University of Louvain (Brussels campus) and a master’s in trade regulation from the New York University.