Partners in Crime: The notion of “close connection” & international jurisdiction in EU trade mark infringement cases

Contacts

guillaume devillegas Module
Guillaume de Villegas

Counsel
Belgium

I am a counsel in our Brussels office where I have experience in all types of IP matters, with a particular focus on trade mark, copyright, design and patent law in the life sciences, retail & consumer, food & beverage, luxury goods and media & entertainment sectors.

camille vanpeteghem Module
Camille Vanpeteghem

Associate
Belgium

I am an associate in the Intellectual Property and Tech & Comms teams in Brussels. My work covers a wide range of legal areas, including copyright, software rights, IT contracts, community designs, trademarks, and general commercial law.

In its judgment of 7 September 2023, the CJEU clarified that an EU trade mark holder can sue multiple defendants, domiciled in different Member States, before the same EU trade mark court in the Member State of one of these defendants, insofar the trade mark infringement claims are closely connected. This is for instance the case when these defendants are merely connected by means of an exclusive distribution agreement.

Latest insights

More Insights
featured image

Price transparency in retail: What companies need to know about Section 11 of the German Price Indication Regulation (PAngV)

6 minutes Feb 27 2026

Read More
featured image

The End of Fine Print: Proposed Reform to Australia's Unfair Trading Practices

7 minutes Feb 26 2026

Read More
featured image

Hotel Management Agreements: A Guide to Key Money

5 minutes Feb 26 2026

Read More