Maarten Rijks

Maarten specialises in IP rights. Clients describe him as an attentive and trusted advisor who gives commercial, practical advice. He's a partner in our IP/IT group, and a litigator. He focuses trademarks, copyright and design rights.

Maarten is described by clients as a potent litigator with a real understanding of the businesses he works with. He has considerable experience in litigation and IP contracting (such as license agreements, R&D agreements and confidentiality agreements), and specialises in trademarks, copyright and design rights as well as advertising and media law.

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Career

Since 2019	Partner, Taylor Wessing
2015 - 2019	Senior Associate, Taylor Wessing
2009 - 2015	Associate, Banning in ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Education

2014	IP Contracting Academy
2008	LL.M, Dutch law, Radboud University, Nijmegen
2008	LL.B, Dutch law, Radboud University, Nijmegen

Publications

Annotation of Dutch Supreme Court, 20 February 2015
In the case Ajax/defendant (likelihood of confusion under Benelux trademark law), Jurisprudence in the Netherlands, Sdu Uitgevers, April 2015
Vanpersieing, Mollemadness: the value of image rights for famous sport players, ProProf Magazine, December 2014
Annotation of Dutch Supreme Court, 17 January 2014
Jurisprudence in the Netherlands, Sdu Uitgevers, April 2014
Annotation of Dutch Supreme Court, 27 September 2013 in the case Boston Scientific/OrbusNeich (procedural costs in a patent case)
Jurisprudence in the Netherlands, Sdu Uitgevers, November 2013
Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights through Border Measures, chapter the Netherlands, Law and Practice in the EU, Oxford University Press, July 2012
Red soles referral

Memberships & Associations

International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA)
International Trademark Association (INTA)
Benelux Association of Trademark and Design Law (BMM)

Additional languages

English

Dutch

Expertise

Services and Groups Brands & advertising Copyright & media law

Experience

Company obtains first cyber injunction under the protection of anonymity	A UK listed company on the theft of data and subsequent ransom of the company. We obtained an injunction against the hackers (PML v Persons Unknown) for the client, which is the first time judgment has been obtained for a listed company against hackers in which anonymity was granted to the company in relation to the interim injunction and then on a permanent basis. The team co-ordinated the entire incident response, including instructing forensic IT and working heavily with UK cybercrime police.
A media and broadcasting company	A media and broadcasting company on complicated license agreement disputes and trade mark infringement matters.
A multinational technology company	A multinational technology company on handling opposition proceedings before the Benelux IP Office and managing trade mark portfolio in the Benelux.

A US based sports equipment manufacturer	A US based sports equipment manufacturer on European and Benelux trade mark law and handling opposition proceedings before the EUIPO.
A pharmaceutical company	A pharmaceutical company on IP protection in designs and shapes, handling invalidity action before the Benelux IP Office.
A multinational shoe company	A multinational shoe company on handling trade mark litigation in the Netherlands and before the CJEU.

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Awards

WTR 100 2021	"Taylor Wessing has been steadily building out its local offering, which provides a 360-degree service through its one-stop shop set-up, with judicious support from its international network as and when needed. The side’s management of thousands of marks is effortless – not least thanks to the vigilant quality control of Maarten Rijks. The Benelux trademark and design practice head is a tough adversary with an uncanny ability to predict the likelihood of success before districts courts, courts of appeal and the Supreme Court."
World Trade Mark Review WTR1000 Benelux: Netherlands 2020	Leading individual (Silver): Instrumental to the firm’s growth is seasoned trademark practitioner Maarten Rijks, who “always responds quickly and provides insightful and practical advice”. “Possessing strong analytical skills, he gets to grip with the intricacies of legal matters. Rijks and his team have a way of drafting complex legal information in a simple manner that is easily accessible to clients.”
World Trade Mark Review WTR1000 Benelux: Netherlands 2018	Leading indivdual: Leading light Maarten Rijks “has an acute business understanding and is very practical in his approach”. A “potent litigator with great communication skills”, Rijks is also highly valued for his hawkish anti-counterfeiting efforts. He was recently involved in a landmark ECJ case for Van Haren against Christian Louboutin regarding the latter’s red sole trademark; another highlight has been his representation of JPMC Investment Group in invalidity proceedings against the Kind Group before the EUIPO.
World Trade Mark Review WTR1000 Benelux: Netherlands 2017	Leading individual: “Soft IP maven Maarten Rijks heads the trademark and copyright team and has a penchant for cases involving luxury, sports and entertainment brands”. “He has a fine instinct for the best use of border measures – a subject on which he has written for the Oxford University Press”. “We are very satisfied with the way Maarten and his team work for all our entities worldwide,” reports one satisfied patron. “He is a trusted adviser and makes sure each case is treated with the utmost care. I appreciate his practical approach, his business understanding of my company and his ability to refer us to law firms in other jurisdictions”.