Nils Winthagen

Nils Winthagen advises and litigates for his clients in the area of commercial law with a focus on intellectual property. Within this specialized area of law, Nils has in the past years been involved in several landmark proceedings regarding trademark infringement, product design and defamation matters in the media. As expert within the field of intellectual property, Nils advises his clients within the entire spectrum of IP, including inter alia trademark law, copyright law, trade name law, unfair competition law, media- and advertising law, e-commerce, data protection law and distribution and agency agreements. In addition thereto, Nils advises and litigates in relation to commercial contracts. Within multiple market sectors the protection of intellectual property is of key importance. From the media- and entertainment sector to technology driven companies, or enterprises active in retail or fast-moving consumer goods: in all markets the importance of IP is recognized. Several of these companies with a trademark- or design portfolio are assisted by Nils. In addition thereto, Nils acts as trusted strategic advisor in relation to the establishment and maintenance of commercial relationships. Prior to founding his own firm, Nils worked at the Amsterdam branch of the international law firm Clifford Chance LLP and established niche firms specialized in intellectual property law.

Examples of matters Nils

Please find below a selection of matters in which Nils assisted his clients:

• conducting summary injunction proceedings in relation to the infringement upon the trademark rights of a well-known Dutch multinational active in the sale and manufacturing of navigation systems Link;

• advising a worldwide leading manufacturer of ice skates in relation to its international distribution framework;

• advising and conducting summary injunction proceedings in relation to trade name infringement for a company specialized in landscape architecture Link;

• conducting summary injunction proceedings for a medical device company against inter alia several foreign defendants in relation to the unauthorized use of proprietary secret know-how;

• advising a well-known NGO in relation to data protection aspects of publications regarding its surveys which are conducted on a global scale;

• defending a Dutch television broadcasting company in several legal proceedings regarding the alleged unlawful content of its television shows;

• conducting legal proceedings for an international manufacturer of hair care products against a party responsible for circulating counterfeit “look-alikes”;

• conducting summary proceedings for an innovative manufacturer of vegetarian snacks, regarding the validity of termination of the distribution relationship and combined claim for trademark infringement Link;

• defending a company in court which was accused of copyright infringement in relation to the format of a well-known theatre show;

• conducting legal proceedings for a well-known Dutch football club against a manufacturer of counterfeit merchandise products.

Professional organizations Nils

Nils is an active member of several national and international professional organizations, such as the Dutch trademark- and design association (BMM), the association for Copyright (VvA), the association Sports and Law, the European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA) and The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI).