Session on intellectual property

Last week, our 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 training team hosted an interesting lunch session on the topic of intellectual property law with Ellen Crabbe and Nils Dillemans from the IP agency brantsandpatents as expert guest speakers. 💼

This session allowed us to reflect on various IP rights and their unique characteristics, as well as the relevant procedures for obtaining patents and trademarks. This knowledge is invaluable in helping us better serve our clients and protect their intellectual property rights and innovations.

A heartfelt thank you to Ellen and Nils for sharing their knowledge with us, and to our 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 training team for organising these monthly trainings. 👏

#intellectualproperty #IPlaw #careergrowth #knowledgeexchange #contrasttraining

Live webinar - BDDB book

On the occasion of the publication of the second edition of our book on competition law, our publisher LeA Uitgevers is organising a live webinar. During the seminar, our competition partners Herlinde Burez and Filip Tuytschaever will discuss recent developments in competition law practice and enforcement alongside the other authors.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧? Tuesday, 13 May 2025 - 12:00-14:00
𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝: Bos Door De Bomen: Mededingingsrecht – Second Edition

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

#competitionlaw #legalpublications #contrastpublications

Priorities for the Belgian Competition Authority

The BCA published its priorities paper 2025, and the least one can say is that it reflects an authority with plenty of ambition after being bolstered by additional resources.

Those wanting to submit a complaint to the BCA will want to know that the BCA will especially pay attention if the complaint concerns the agri-food value chain, construction, healthcare, basic services (including regulated professions, finance, banking, insurance, and energy and transport), or the digitalisation of the economy (including local platforms) and telecom. Incidentally, in many of these sectors, the BCA already has one or more pending cases which may come to a close this year.

2025 will also be the year of the first ever sector inquiry of the BCA (into price revision and indexation mechanisms), that of the preparation of a series of policy papers (on sustainability, on the BCA’s digital policy, and on competition rules in the context of employee mobility, including the use of no-poach agreements), as well as an update of existing guidance on bid rigging.

Interestingly, as many other competition authorities in the EU, also the BCA will investigate whether it should seek legislative changes for it to have a "call in" competence for mergers that fail to reach the EU and Belgian notification thresholds, and for a "New Competition Tool", so as to be able to impose binding remedies to remedy market distortions identified after a general or sectoral investigation.

Plenty of ambition, indeed, and we’ll keep you posted of developments as they occur.

In the meantime, you can read the priorities paper of the BCA in English, Dutch and French here.

#belgiancompetitionauthority #competitionlaw #antitrust #lawfirm #contrastupdate

Another year, another reward

Congratulations to the winner, Mathias Vanduffel of Rootsum.🎉

Last week, our counsel Eva Alboort and project manager Hendrik Verbruggen saw him win the JCI Award Vlaams-Brabantse Jonge Ondernemer 2025.

We also congratulate Jan Kunnen of Eduvik on his audience award, as well as the other strong candidates Julie Hermans of Cumbaya and Stefan Walraven of Inmanta!

As an independent law firm, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭 actively supports entrepreneurship and ambition to create positive changes. We are therefore a very proud and longstanding sponsor of JCI.

We look forward to next year’s event!

#JCI #VBJO25 #entrepreneurship #proudsponsor #contrastlaw #contrastcares

Guest lecture on 'abuse of dominant position and merger control' at VUB

Last Friday, our counsel Mathieu Vancaillie and senior associate Michèle de Clerck gave a guest lecture at the Law Faculty of the University of Brussels, where our partner Filip Tuytschaever teaches EU competition law. Mathieu discussed 'abuse of dominant position' and Michèle 'merger control'.

Thanks to the students for their active participation!

Also interested in competition law? Read our new book 'Bos door de Bomen: Mededingingrecht'. You can order your copy here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gEd4ymJS

#EUlaw #guestlecture #vub #lawstudents #EU #contraststudentcorner #contrasttalent

Recent advice bij the 'BRC Onrechtmatige Bedingen' on Belgian B2B Law

Last week, the Special Advisory Committee on unfair terms (‘BRC Onrechtmatige Bedingen’), a Belgian advisory body, published its advice on the rules relating to unfair terms in the Belgian B2B law. This advice was requested by the Minister of Economy and forms part of the legislator's planned evaluation of the B2B law of 4 April 2019.

The advice provides valuable insights (including relevant considerations, analyses of clauses and recommendations) on several key topics:

• the requirement for clauses to be drafted in a clear and comprehensible manner;
• the prohibition of clauses that create a manifest imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties;
• clauses that are unlawful (black list) and those presumed to be unlawful (grey list).

Although the BRC’s advice is non-binding, it will be used by the legislator in evaluating the B2B law.

For a detailed read, check out the full advice here.


𝐀𝐧𝐲 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬? Our commercial team is happy to help!


#commerciallaw #onrechtmatigebedingen #unfairterms #B2B #contrastupdate

Belgian Competition Authority sanctions pharmaceutical and healthcare companies for the joint product placement of OTC medicines in pharmacies

The Belgian Competition Authority has fined Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Boehringer Ingelheim and Haleon for jointly setting up a space management project (category management arrangement) for the placement of over the counter (OTC) medicines in pharmacies. While a category management arrangement between a single supplier and a retailer may be acceptable in principle, it becomes significantly more sensitive when it involves multiple suppliers that are, presumably, competitors.

According to the BCA, this space management project between these competitors had the following anti-competitive traits in breach of the competition rules:

• The exclusion of (products of) competitors in the design and implementation of the planograms used for the placement of OTC medicines in pharmacies.
• The favouring of own products in the design and implementation of the planograms in question.
• The monitoring of the agreements and of the implementation of the planograms in the relevant pharmacies.

This is the first time competition law rules have been applied to category management arrangements in this fashion.

The full text of the decision will shortly be available on the BCA’s website.

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨? Read the BCA’s press release in English, Dutch and French on our LinkedIn.

Further questions on the application of competition law rules to category management arrangements? You can read the 2010 opinion of the French competition authority on the subject via the following link: https://lnkd.in/ej-GW89c, or get in touch with your contact person at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭.

#BCA #competitionlaw #antitrust #cartel #horizontalagreements #contrastupdate

In the Picture - Oxford University Press publishes brand new edition of our book on Vertical Agreements in EU Competition Law

This month’s newsletter doesn’t flag a legal development. Because we are so proud, we instead wanted to let you know that Oxford University Press has just published the fourth edition of our book on Vertical Agreements in EU Competition Law.

𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞? Go and have a look at our latest #inthepicture and check out our cartoon here.

You can order your own copy of the book here.

#CompetitionLaw #EULaw #VerticalAgreements #contrastpublications

Happy Easter!

at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭, we want to wish a wonderful Easter! May your baskets be filled with chocolate. 🐰

#easter #lawfirm #contrastvibes

Let's celebrate Administrative Professionals Day!

We are truly fortunate to have a wonderful administrative support team at 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭. Let’s be honest, it’s not obvious working for a bunch of lawyers 😊. And yet, we can always rely on their support when aiming to make a difference for our clients and the members of our legal team. And for that, we owe them a genuine “thank you” ! 👏

#contrastvibes #teamwork #officeteam #lawfirm