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Law students, pay attention!
Are you looking for a valuable internship in one of the following domains: competition & EU, corporate & M&A, commercial law or dispute resolution?
At ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ you gain hands-on experience through interesting cases and continuous coaching from a great team which you can join as summer/winter/academic intern, research assistant or as junior lawyer.
๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐? Come and visit our booths ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ at the following job fairs:
โข Our counsel, Eva Alboort, and commercial associate, Emiel Weyers, are eager to connect with you at the ๐๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ซ (ICC) from 13 PM until 17 PM.
โข Our HR assistant, Vanessa Elsen, and competition associate, Emma Fransen, are excited to meet you at the ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฌ (Handelsbeurs) from 12 PM until 17 PM.
You can also apply directly here.ย
We cannot wait to meet you!
#lawstudents #jobfairs #lawfirm #legalinternship #contraststudentcorner #meetcontrast
contrast supports Think Pink
October is #BreastCancerAwareness month.
Each year, our team raises awareness for breast cancer by supporting Think Pink through in-house activities and a donation.
The funds raised, help Think Pink finance vital scientific research and care projects for people affected by breast cancer.
Letโs make a difference together. Join us in supporting this important cause by clicking here! ๐ย
#thinkpink #contrastvibes #contrastcares
ECJ confirms qualification of Teva and Cephalon's pay-for-delay agreement as by object restriction
On 23 October 2025, the ECJ dismissed Teva and Cephalonโs appeal against the General Courtโs judgment, confirming the Commissionโs infringement decision. In November 2020, the Commission fined Cephalon and Teva 30.5 M EUR and 30 M EUR respectively for a so-called โpay-for-delayโ cartel.
๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐?
- In 2005, Cephalon and Teva concluded a patent settlement agreement with regard to the patent rights of Cephalonโs sleep disorder drug (modafinil).
- By this settlement agreement, Teva committed not to enter the market with its generic modafinil product, not to compete with Cephalonโs modafinil product and not to challenge Cephalonโs modafinil patent rights. In return, the settlement agreement contained a package of transactions, amongst which Tevaโs appointment as exclusive distributor of Cephalonโs modafinil products in the UK for 5 years.
- Both the Commission (in 2020) and โ on appeal โ the General Court (in 2023) concluded that the settlement agreement was contrary to competition law.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ฒ ๐จ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง? The ECJ endorsed that approach. It reaffirmed its case law and confirmed that patent dispute settlements may infringe competition law. Where the payment made by the patent holder goes beyond what is necessary to resolve the dispute or to remunerate genuine goods or services โ and instead serves to compensate the other party for staying off the market โ such conduct is presumed to be anti-competitive. This presumption applies without the need to demonstrate actual or potential effects on competition, qualifying it as a by object infringement.
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ? Read the full text of the judgment here: https://lnkd.in/ekYT2RfA
๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ? Please do not hesitate to get in contact.
#ECJ #GeneralCourt #CompetitionLaw #PayForDelay #Pharma #DisputeResolution
inspiring future paralegals at UCLL
Yesterday, our paralegals Evi Noรซl and Cathy Van den Branden were invited to give a guest lecture to first-year students at UC Leuven-Limburg.
With 120 enthusiastic students in attendance, they shared insights into the essential role of paralegals in law firms, highlighting their daily impact, expertise, and passion for the profession.
A big thank you to An De Graeve and Katrien Vanderschot for the continued collaboration, and to the students for their active participation and curiosity!
๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฃ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฆ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ? Visit our career page ๐ https://lnkd.in/eAyQUkvE
#paralegal #lawfirm #UCLL #guestlecture #legalcareers #meetcontrast #contraststudentcorner #contrasttalent
In the Picture - CTRL + SHIFT + INVOICE: The 2026 e-volution
๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ... ๐ญ
You run a small but thriving Belgian design agency. Your days are filled with creativity: branding projects, website mock-ups, packaging concepts. You work with retailers, manufacturers, and service providers, and youโve built strong relationships with your clients over the years.
At the end of each month, you sit down with a cup of coffee and open your invoicing software. You generate a pdf for each client, attach it to an email, and send it off. Itโs a rhythm you know well. Itโs simple, efficient, and has worked for years.
Then, one morning, your accountant sends you a message: โStarting January 1, 2026, you must issue structured electronic invoices for all B2B transactions.โ You frown. Structured? Electronic? Arenโt your pdfโs structured and electronic? They have all the right fields. Theyโre digital. Youโve never had a complaint.
๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐? Read our latest #inthepicture โCTRL + SHIFT + INVOICE: The 2026 E-volutionโ on our website, or contact our commercial partner Milena Varga or counsel Laurence Vanhyfte.
#commerciallaw #einvoicing #B2Btransactions #peppol #belgianlaw
Welcome to our new contraster, Vincent!
Weโre pleased to announce that Vincent Caenepeel has joined our commercial team as an associate.
We warmly welcome him and wish him an exciting start. Good luck Vincent!
Also interested in joining ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ? Take a look at our open positions ๐ https://lnkd.in/eDn2X5td
#lawyers #associate #commerciallaw #careergrowth #contrasttalent
Dealer consolidations: Does the BCA's practice need tuning?
The Belgian car dealership landscape is undergoing a wave of consolidation. A large number of dealer mergers requires approval from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA). How does the BCA handle these mergers? Is its methodology still aligned with the realities of the sector?
In the latest edition of the journal Competitio (2025/2), our competition partner Herlinde Burez and counsel Mathieu Vancaillie take a critical look at the BCAโs approach to reviewing mergers in the automotive distribution sector. This article offers a deep dive into:
โข the legal and economic context of dealer mergers;
โข the market definition, including the debate around the existence of system markets or rather separate (and brand-specific?) aftersales markets; and
โข the competition analysis.
The authors raise questions about transparency, efficiency, and the need for a broader and realistic perspective in assessing competition risks.
๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐? ๐ Read the full article in Competitio 2025/2, or on our website.
#competitionlaw #automotive #BCA #mergercontrol #Competitio #contrastpublications
Recap: contrast connects workshop - Legal Aspects of International Trade Associations
Brussels hosts around 2000 international trade associations under Belgian law.
Reason for ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ to organise a closed workshop and for our ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง and ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ teams to share practical insights on:
โ
Corporate and governance structure of IVZW / AISBL
โ
Corporate and competition law ins-and-outs of day-to-day operations
โ
Competition law compliance
The workshop sparked engaging discussions and valuable exchanges of best practices, followed by a networking lunch.
๐ก ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ง๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ฌ?
Feel free to email us at connects@contrast.law and we will keep you informed!
A big thank you to all participants for making this session a success!
#contrastconnects #competitionlaw #corporatelaw #internationalassociations #IVZW #AISBL
Juliette, Gitte and Astrid take the oath
๐๐๐ซ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐: ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐๐ญ๐ก!
We are happy to share that our three new junior lawyers, Juliette Powis, Gitte Wauters and Astrid Jamaer, officially took their oath at the Brussels Bar. ๐
Juliette, Gitte and Astrid joined our firm last week, following summer internships and roles as research assistants at our firm. They will strengthen our teams, respectively in competition & EU, commercial and corporate.
We want to congratulate them on this significant milestone in their legal careers and wish them every success as they embark on this exciting new journey!
#lawstudents #lawfirm #lawyers #newhires #welcome #contrastvibes #contrasttalent
contrast walks for a cleaner future
Last weekend, a group of motivated colleagues at ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ took on the A.S. Adventure Walk, covering an impressive 20 kilometres through Brussels.
By participating, our team proudly contributed to River Cleanup, an organisation committed to removing plastic pollution from rivers and waterways across the globe.
A heartfelt thank you to all colleagues who took part and helped turn steps into impact.
Learn more about River Cleanup and how you can help via their website ๐ www.river-cleanup.org
#ESG #sustainability #sustainableentrepreneurshipย #RiverCleanup #wellbeingatwork #VCDO #contrastcares
