Stijn Debaene | Fieldfisher
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Professional background

Professional background

For more than 15 years, I have been litigating cases in all areas of intellectual property law (copyrights, trademarks and patents) in a variety of sectors but with a particular focus on the media and telecom industries.

My IP litigation client's team range from small designers like La Fille d'O, over major entertainment production companies like Studio 100 to BEL 20 companies like Telenet or multinationals like Vitra.
 
For these and other clients my team and I have been involved in several landmark cases like the Telenet / United Video Properties patent litigation case which went up to the Court of Justice of the European Union "ECJ"). (C-57/15).
 
Besides the IP litigation practice, we have also built a nice sports law practice, which has led us to represent professional football players and cyclists before a wide variety of national and international arbitration panels. We are also active on the transactional front and have, for example, negotiated Marouane Fellaini's transfer to his current Chinese club or TV rights deals with the Premier League.
 
My team is consistently well ranked in the Chambers Europe and Legal 500 legal directories as well as in more IP focused directories like the 'IAM Patent 1000' and the 'Word Trademark Review 1000' rankings.
 
I have attended four universities in four different languages. I accomplished my Bachelor at the Université de Namur, my Master at the Catholic University of Leuven (including one Erasmus year at the Università degl Studi di Siena in Italy) and my LL.M at Columbia University School of Law.

*BV Advocatenkantoor Stijn Debaene 0832.576.338

Awards & recognition

Awards & recognition

Chambers Europe, 2020 – Intellectual Property
One client describes him as "extremely clever, smart, responsive and really a super lawyer."
World Trademark Review 1000 2020
Debaene heads up the IP department and seamlessly traverses the contentious/non-contentious divide. An out-of-the-box thinker and multilinguist, Debaene is someone to have in your corner.
Chambers Europe 2019
Commentators highlight that Stijn Debaene is "efficient and someone who gets straight to the point and has a good relationship with clients".
The Legal 500 2019
The 'super efficient' Stijn Debaene and 'very responsive' Hakim Haouideg are the key individuals.
IAM Patent 1000 2019
Blending IP, unfair competition and regulatory expertise, head of practice Debaene is the person to call for holistic counsel.
World Trademark Review 1000 2019
Debaene and Haouideg are hailed as “excellent team players and highly professional and superb litigators”.  
World Trademark Review 1000 2018
They are energetic, efficient and can think on their feet. Most importantly, they are brilliantly creative and tenacious.

Authored pieces

All Resources
A complex digital artwork featuring a network of intersecting, translucent lines and shapes in hues of purple, blue, and white, creating a three-dimensional, abstract pattern that resembles a futuristic circuit board or metropolis.
Press Release

Fieldfisher IP practitioners recognised in the prestigious WIPR Leaders 2023 Directory

07.07.2023
Two partners from Fieldfisher’s leading global IP practice, Harriet Seymour in London and Stijn Debaene in Brussels, have been included in the distinguished World IP Review (WIPR) Leaders 2023 Directory.
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A person interacts with a virtual globe interface, seemingly projected from a tablet on a desk. The globe displays interconnected lines and data points. A document with charts and graphs is visible on the desk. The setting appears to be an office.
Insight

Fieldfisher Belgium featured prominently in Chambers Europe 2022 edition

18.03.2022
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Publication

World IP Day 2021 – From innovation to growth

23.04.2021
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A digital illustration featuring abstract lines and glowing dots, reminiscent of light trails or neural networks. The colors transition from pink to purple and blue, creating a dynamic and futuristic aesthetic against a dark background.
Press Release

Fieldfisher's European IP team named in the 2021 World Trademark Review rankings

25.02.2021
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Insight

Fieldfisher Brussels obtains favourable ruling from ECJ regarding Belgian legislation on the recoverability of attorney fees in IP cases

04.08.2016
A team from Fieldfisher's Brussels office obtained a favourable ruling from the European Court of Justice following a preliminary reference questioning Belgian legislation on the recoverability of attorney's fees.
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What others say…

Chambers Europe, 2020 – Intellectual Property
One client describes him as "extremely clever, smart, responsive and really a super lawyer."
World Trademark Review 1000 2020
Debaene heads up the IP department and seamlessly traverses the contentious/non-contentious divide. An out-of-the-box thinker and multilinguist, Debaene is someone to have in your corner.
World Trademark Review 1000 2019
Debaene and Haouideg are hailed as “excellent team players and highly professional and superb litigators”.