Maarten Rijks

Maarten is an experienced litigator, with a particular focus on trademarks, copyright, design rights and patents. Clients describe him as an attentive and trusted advisor who gives commercial, practical advice.

He has considerable experience in litigation and IP contracting (including license agreements, R&D agreements and confidentiality agreements), 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	LLM, Dutch law, Radboud University, Nijmegen
2008	LLB, 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 ("The Netherlands, Law and Practice in the EU" chapter), 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 Environmental, social & governance (ESG)Patents & innovation Green advertising

Sectors Consumer & retail Technology, media & communications Cryptoassets, blockchain and distributed ledger technology

Experience

Dutch theme park

Representing a large well-known Dutch theme park in Dutch litigation on alleged copyright and neighbouring rights infringements including a debate on the scope of a CMO licence.

Maarten Rijks

Van Haren

Representing Van Haren in legal proceedings against Airwair (Dr. Martens) up an to the Dutch Supreme Court, Courts of Appeal and the Benelux Court of Justice. Also representing Van Haren in the landmark case on the validity of Louboutin’s red sole mark at the European Court of Justice.

Press release

Maarten Rijks

Dutch Solar company

Representing a Dutch solar company in a trademark infringement, bad faith trademark application and defamation matter before the Dutch courts.

Maarten Rijks

US Companies

Successfully assisting US companies in seizing IP addresses hosted with RIPE in Amsterdam. The US companies were already involved in litigation in the US against a Turkish defendant and had filed a claim for damages as a result of direct liability for copyright infringement.

Press release

Maarten Rijks

US user generated content platform

Representing a large US user generated content platform in intermediary liability litigation (trademarks and image rights) in the Netherlands.

Maarten Rijks

Dutch theme park

Representing a large well-known Dutch theme park is Dutch litigation on alleged copyright and neighbouring rights infringements including a debate on the scope of an CMO licence.

Maarten Rijks

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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”.

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