Insights

Brussels—September 2, 2021: Sari Depreeuw is joining Crowell & Moring’s Brussels office as a partner in its Technology & Brand Protection Group, expanding the firm’s capability to counsel clients on complex intellectual property matters in the visual arts, digital, and audiovisual sectors.

In an era where regulatory landscapes are rapidly evolving, companies with a footprint in the European Union must stay vigilant and adaptable. The EU has recently unveiled a comprehensive set of guidelines that impose fresh obligations on both EU and non-EU based companies operating within its borders. This client alert is the first in a series designed to decode the complexities of the new EU regulations and provide actionable insights for businesses to ensure full compliance[1]. Stay tuned as we unravel the details of these pivotal changes and guide you through the steps your business needs to take to align with the EU's heightened regulatory standards.

On February 17, 2024, The Digital Services Act (DSA) will become applicable, introducing a new regulatory framework for providers of intermediary services. The DSA will apply to those offering their services to users located in the EU, regardless of the providers' place of establishment. We have discussed the new obligations in our previous client alert, when the DSA was adopted. In this alert, we will focus on the notice and action mechanisms, the positions of the users, intermediaries and the general public.

Unitary Patents are being granted and the Unified Patent Court is up and running as of June 1, 2023.  Since the 1970’s, there have been attempts at establishing a unitary European patent that would cover multiple European countries and would be enforced by a single court system.  This type of system is in contrast to the system known since 1973 of granting European Patents by the European Patent Office (EPO) and validating the European Patent in designated European countries, wherein each validated patent is enforced in the national court associated with the validated patent.

Crowell & Moring Partner Sari Depreeuw, a partner in Crowell & Moring’s Brussels office and a member of the firm’s Technology & Brand Protection Group, will be speaking at this year's Academy of European Law's Summer Course on European Information Technology Law, taking place in Trier, Germany on September 19-23. Her presentation, "The EU Legal Framework for Data, Big Data and Databases," will take place on September 22nd at 1:30 p.m. (local time).

On Wednesday, April 15, Crowell & Moring and Global Competition Review will host a webinar exploring how the recent increased antitrust scrutiny and enforcement related to large technology platforms will present risks and opportunities beyond big tech firms and impact companies across all industries. The discussion will also address how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting these investigations worldwide. The webinar will be moderated by Crowell & Moring’s Andy Gavil.