Legal 500 EMEA 2012
"Kennedy Van der Laan handles data protection, e-commerce,
contracts, licensing, regulatory and outsourcing matters for IT
suppliers, and other corporate and government entities. (Former)
managing partner Joost Linnemann and Patrick Wit are the key
contacts."
Chambers Europe 2012
"This firm's technology team is one of the most highly
regarded in the Netherlands. It remains at the forefront of
developments, often working on cutting-edge projects. The lawyers
advised the Dutch national railway on a virtual network for
matching international train information, and also handled IT
contracts and software licensing agreements. On the media side, it
attracts work in both the print and online sectors, most notably
representing news blog GeenStijl and newspaper Spits in litigation.
It further handled contentious work for De Persgroep newspapers.
Its strength in the fields of free speech and defamation has
resulted in some interesting work, such as a case over broadcaster
VARA's right to use satire. The team upholds its reputation for
telecoms work, with clients including a major mobile operator and
various fixed telecoms providers."
Sources say:
"A strong, broad practice with reputable partners."
"Founding fathers of the IT scene."
Key individuals:
Jens van den Brink earns much praise for his work on defamation
and privacy matters. Clients pick out his up-to-date knowledge of
new and social media as a particular strength.
Hester De Vries remains one of the market's most highly
respected specialists for data protection and privacy work.
(Former)Managing partner Joost Linnemann is well regarded for his
work in IT, and specialises in e-commerce and complex technology
projects and transactions.
Patrick Wit works on the intersection between IT, media and
telecoms. A source comments: "He does a great job for his
clients."
Senior associate Reindert van der Zaal impressed sources with his
media work, which often has an IP flavour. Clients note his calm
demeanour and strong performance in court.
Personal Data Privacy
Kennedy Van der Laan is home to the leading personal data
privacy practice in The Netherlands. We advise international and
Dutch companies on effective business implementation of EU and
Dutch privacy regulations. We also advise Dutch government bodies,
including the Dutch privacy authority itself, on strategic
implementation choices of the law. We have also advised several
other Ministries on the privacy aspects of major public
projects.
For commercial clients we have advised on a wide-range of
challenging projects ranging from iris-scan identification of
airline passengers, to structuring a global HRM system in a
multinational concern, to protecting privacy while implementing a
nationwide chip card payment system for all public transportation,
as well as on privacy issues for all sorts of websites, including
ones directed at minors. For our clients in the human resources
sector, personal data constitutes the key asset of the business,
where our privacy group plays a key role in preserving this
asset.
RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS
New Dutch cookie law requires prior consent from
internet users
Kennedy Van der Laan Newsletter - June 2011
The Dutch DPA Is Barking At Google But Is Not
Biting Yet
Kennedy Van der Laan Newsletter - May 2011
More Obligations for Electronic Communication
Providers by Implementation of New European Framework in
Telecommunications Act
Kennedy Van der Laan Newsletter - November/December 2010
Are New Model Clauses a Relief for Practice?
Kennedy Van der Laan Newsletter - October
2010