Legal 500 EMEA 2012
‘A very accessible firm, which is informal but has very
experienced lawyers’, Kennedy Van der Laan is noted for its freedom
of press work. Jens van den Brink is ‘an outstanding lawyer in the
field of media law and defamation; very experienced and up to
date’. Machteld Robichon-Lindenkamp provides ‘know-how in media
cases and special knowledge of broadcasting matters’. Robinchon
acted for TV Oranje regarding alleged regulatory breaches by
broadcaster TROS, and the team successfully represented artist
Nadia Plesner in proceedings brought by Louis Vuitton.
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.
Media
Kennedy Van der Laan has a well-developed and varied media
practice. Our clients include Dutch and international television
and radio stations (both public and commercial), other broadcast
content providers (including mobile operators), television
production companies, newspapers, magazine and book publishers and
internet providers.
Our media experience include entertainment law issues such as
image rights and sponsorship contracts, advice on IP rights,
allocation of frequencies (FM and TETRA), access to the public
broadcasting system, access to cable networks and compliance with
advertising and sponsoring regulations and the Games of Chance Act.
An important part of our work consists of advice and litigation
(both in court and before the Council for Journalism) in freedom of
speech cases. Our practice also includes a full range of commercial
contracts, content acquisition and use and corporate transactions
involving media companies.
We have assisted our clients to expand their markets, whether by
crossing over into new media channels or by combining content and
channel distribution. Our regulatory and corporate transaction
practices are integral to this process, supported by our expertise
in cutting edge technology.