Benoit Michaux

portrait photo

Benoit Michaux Partner

Office location
Brussels
Telephone number
+32 2 740 00 04
E-mail
michauxb@hoyngmonegier.com
Languages
Dutch, English, French
Expertise
Designs, Trademarks, Copyright, ICT
Education
K.U.Leuven (Law, 1983)
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Benoit is a specialist in copyright, trademarks and design, and information technology (including database protection). He has a wide experience of IP issues in the digital environment. He assists clients (copyright owners, film- music- and games producers, well-known artists and trademark owners) in defending their rights in infringement cases in the context of the physical world as well as online networks, both before the courts and in arbitration. Benoit also handles matters in the areas of technology transfer and biotechnology. He advises clients on negotiating and drafting licence contracts and transfers. 

Benoit is a deputy Judge with the Court of Appeal of Brussels and is a CEPINA approved arbitrator for domain-name disputes. He is a member of the Intellectual Property Council, and of the Executive Board of the specialised law review “Auteurs&Media” and acts as member of the Board of the Belgian chapter of the Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale (ALAI). 

Benoit is the co-author of a reference book on Copyright (Précis du droit d’auteur et des droits voisins, Brussels, 2000) and the author of a book on database protection (Brussels, 2005).  He is a guest lecturer on copyright issues at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and HUBrussel.

 

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Representative Matters 

  • Sabam v. Scarlet. Represents a copyright society before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in a dispute against an internet access provider concerning an injunction to filter out infringing music files that are shared via peer-to-peer protocols without authorisation of the rights owners (2010 to date).  
  • Sabam v. YouTube. Represents Sabam, a copyright society, in a dispute against the user generated content platform YouTube regarding an injunction to cease the unauthorised offering of music and audiovisual files (2010 to date).  
  • Sony Playstation v. Vandebeeck. Represented a leading producer of interactive games before the Belgian Constitutional Court in a dispute against the retailer of devices aimed at the circumvention of technological protection measures (2009). 
  • InfoBase vs. Coface. Represented the producer of a database containing public, legal and financial information in a dispute against the affiliate of a major bank concerning the unauthorised re-use of substantial parts of the content of the database (2009).  
  • Universal Publishing v. Vincent. Represented a major music publisher, the copyright owner of Eminem’s song “Sorry Mamma”, against Belgian composers who claimed that Eminem infringed the copyright of their song "Daydream" (2008).

Professional Affiliations

  • Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale (ALAI), Board Member of the Belgian chapter
  • CEPINA
  • Intellectual Property Council
  • International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
  • International Trademark Association (INTA) 

Publications

  • “Précis du droit d’auteur et des droits voisins” (2000). Co-authored with F. de Visscher
  • “Droit des bases de données” (2005)
  • “L’originalité en droit d’auteur communautaire après l’arrêt Infopaq” (2009) 
  • "Les nouvelles dispositions procédurales relatives aux injonctions contre les intermédiaires”, Sanctions et procédures en droits intellectuels (2008)
  • “L'attribution des noms de domaine en cas de concurrence entre titulaires de signes distinctifs”, La protection des marques sur Internet (2007). Co-authored with E. Cornu & G. Sorreaux

Speaking Engagements 

  • “Digital Rights management : beyond intellectual property protection?”, AIPPI  (Singapore, 2007)
  • “The liability for contributory infringement of intellectual property rights”, AIPPI Belgian Report, Question 204 (Boston, 2008)
  • “Exceptions to copyright in the high tech and digital sectors”, Presentation of the Belgian Report on Question 216, AIPPI (Paris, 2010) 

What others say 

  • “Benoit Michaux stands out for his remarkable litigation skills and is lauded by clients as ‘the best copyright lawyer in Belgium’ ”. Chambers Europe 2010
  • “Benoit Michaux is praised as ‘exceptional’ ”. Legal 500 2010