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Alexis Fierens

Partner
An easy-going, hands-on, communicative style and a great eye for quality and detail.
Client, Chambers 2020
About

Alexis Fierens has over 17 years’ experience as an IP and commercial lawyer. He assists Belgian SMEs and multinational companies in various industries, with a particular focus on the consumer goods, food and retail, technology, media, sport and entertainment, and life sciences industries.

Alexis handles advisory, contracting and litigation work in all main fields of IP law (including trademarks, copyright, designs, trade secrets and patents) as well as advertising, unfair commercial practices, distribution, IT law, and sustainability and ESG.

Alexis advises clients on the establishment, protection, strategy, exploitation and enforcement of IP portfolios and represents clients in pre-contentious disputes as well as in proceedings before the Belgian courts. As part of the Brussels’ EU Centre of Excellence, Alexis is on top of new EU regulations, directives and other legislative initiatives in his areas of focus and is also well versed in cross-border infringement and other IP litigation throughout the EU.

While being pragmatic and realistic in disputes, always acting in the client’s best interests and working towards a settlement whenever possible, according to clients and peers, Alexis is also a “sharp, competent and diligent IP litigator” with “excellent pleading skills” who “always goes the extra mile”.

Alexis is widely recognized as a leading individual and he and his team are ranked in all major legal directories, in which he is described as “standing out from the crowd because of his sharp business acumen and great communication skills”. 

He regularly publishes legal articles and blogs, speaks at national and international seminars on various aspects of IP rights and is a member of a number of local and international industry associations including BMM, ECTA, INTA and ABA/BVA.

Professional QualificationsAdvocaat registered with the Nederlandse Orde van Advocaten bij de Balie te Brussel

EXPERIENCE

  • Assisting major furniture designers and manufacturers in copyright, design and patent infringement proceedings.
  • Assisting various trademark owners in BOIP and EUIPO opposition proceedings.
  • Advising a leading entertainment company on IP and commercial queries regarding its video-on-demand streaming platform.
  • Advising and assisting the Flemish regional authorities in the elaboration and trademark protection of a new citymarketing and citybranding strategy and campaign.
  • Advising and assisting a professional cinema association and a leading cinema chain in a dispute with a collecting society on the use of copyrighted works and related rights.
  • Assisting a leading food and beverage multinational in its defence for alleged infringements of rights of personal portrayal, trade name, free-riding and other parasitic acts and unfair commercial practices.
  • Drafting of distribution, sub-distributorship and software reseller agreements for a harbor company.
  • Advising a leading international tobacco company on Benelux trademark regulation and on Belgian legislative initiatives on plain packaging.
Education

    Seminars

    • ECTA 40th Annual Conference – ‘Who is Who? The Collaboration between Spin-offs, Start-ups and Academia’, Copenhagen, 17 June 2022
    • EU Commission’s DG Research & Innovation: Participation in an expert panel meeting on Knowledge Valorisation, Brussels, 29-30 January 2020

    Prior Experience

    Before joining DLA Piper in 2010, Alexis worked with a medium-sized firm with a special focus on litigation where, in addition to IP, IT and commercial law, he also acquired substantial experience in a range of other subjects, such as liability and insurance law, criminal law and labour law. He was also involved in various company restructurings and liquidations.

    In 2009, Alexis obtained his Master's degree in intellectual property law at the KUB (currently HUB, part of the KU Leuven Association).

    Memberships And Affiliations

    • Dutch Brussels Bar (NOAB) and Flemish Pleading Association of Brussels (VPG)
    • International Trademark Association (INTA)
    • European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA)
    • Benelux Association of Trademark and Design Law (BMM)
    • Belgian Copyright Association (ABA/BVA)

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