Insights

Washington – June 6, 2024: Intellectual Asset Management recognized Crowell & Moring in its IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners guide, awarding the firm a gold band ranking as one of the top three firms handling patent litigation and transactions in Belgium, and a silver ranking for the firm’s Chicago office. The firm was also recommended nationally in the United States for trade secrets litigation. This marks the eleventh consecutive year that the firm has been ranked in the guide in Belgium.

Brussels and Doha – April 1, 2024: The Legal 500 Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) 2024 edition has recognized 16 practice areas and 11 lawyers in Crowell & Moring’s Brussels and Doha offices. The 11 individual lawyers received 18 total rankings across the 16 different practice areas.

At the beginning of the year, we brought to your attention that a number of important Belgian and EU legislative changes are likely to have an impact in 2024: there are new laws that have been adopted and proposals that are expected to firm up into law.

A number of important Belgian and EU legislative changes are likely to have an impact in 2024. On the one hand, there are new laws that have been adopted and will start to bite, and, on the other, there are proposals that are expected to firm up into law.

On November 17, 2022, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) issued four important decisions (here) relating to parallel imports of branded products within the internal market of the European Union (EU). This is a complex topic at the crossroads of free movement of goods and trademark enforcement in the EU.

With the emergence of the “metaverse,” the global marketplace is experiencing unprecedented digital transformation, and brands are tuning in. This type of digital platform provides new opportunities for global companies to connect with their consumers. At the same time, it also offers a new opportunity for unauthorized brand exploitation and infringement. As companies seek to expand their presence in the metaverse, brands have been increasingly interested in how to protect their existing intellectual property from trademark infringement in the virtual world while also obtaining new metaverse-related trademark protection for their own brands.