Joris Deene
When the Data Protection Authority (GBA) orders you to delete address details, it is generally sufficient to remove the specific street name and house number. The mere fact that a municipality or a...
New procedural rules for cross-border GDPR enforcement: what will change with Regulation (EU) 2025/2518?
The European legislator has taken an important step in harmonizing GDPR enforcement. With the publication of Regulation (EU) 2025/2518 in the Official Journal on December 12, 2025, the rules of the game for...
Is civil disobedience punishable? The influence of freedom of speech on climate actions
Climate activists who resort to acts of civil disobedience—such as removing posters or blocking roads—often invoke freedom of expression or the state of emergency. But...
Phishing and bank fraud: is logging into a fake website ‘gross negligence’?
Have you been the victim of online bank fraud or phishing, and is your bank refusing to compensate you for the damage because you “entered your codes yourself”? A ruling by the Justice of the Peace in Antwerp on April 15...
Can AI just use your online photos for training? An analysis of the LAION ruling
The rapid rise of generative AI is forcing the legal community to redefine the boundaries of copyright law. In an important ruling dated December 10, 2025, the Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht in...
Bank card misused after a night out: who pays the costs in the event of a dispute?
A night out abroad ends in a financial nightmare: you have no memory of the evening, suspect that you were drugged, and discover that your account has been emptied. Will you get your money back from...
Design and copyright after the Mio ruling: the end of the ‘overall impression’ in Belgium?
Is a functional object, such as a designer table or a modular cabinet system, protected by copyright? And when does counterfeiting occur? On December 4, 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled in the...
Access to log files under the GDPR: are you allowed to know which employee has viewed your file?
The right of access is one of the cornerstones of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Many citizens wonder how far this right extends: as a data subject, can you demand that an organization, such as a...
Is it permissible to copy a functional design?
It's every designer's nightmare: you launch a product, and shortly afterwards a competitor launches an almost identical version. Can this be dealt with legally? The answer is nuanced: purely...
DSA enforcement: why is the European Commission fining X and sparing TikTok (for now)?
The European Commission has handed down the first heavy penalties under the Digital Services Act (DSA), with a €120 million fine for X and binding commitments from TikTok. These decisions mark a turning point in...
Is an exclusive jurisdiction clause for British courts valid if it was concluded during the Brexit transition period?
In a ruling dated March 27, 2025, the Court of Cassation put an end to the uncertainty surrounding jurisdiction clauses in Belgian-British commercial contracts. The Court confirmed that an exclusive choice of forum for the...
Can you criticize an opponent in a crowdfunding campaign without being guilty of defamation?
Victims of alleged fraud or malpractice sometimes start online fundraising campaigns to finance their legal battles. But is it permissible to name the opposing party in the description of such a campaign and...
How much weight does ones own expertise carry compared to that of a court expert in criminal cases?
In criminal proceedings, and certainly in sexual offenses cases, expert reports often play a decisive role. But what if you disagree with the court expert and hire a private expert yourself? In the...
Can a non-pseudonymized judgment be used as evidence in another court case?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects your personal data, but this protection is not absolute. As a rule, a party may use a previous judgment or ruling in which your name does not appear...
Sports fraud and IT forgery: what are the legal consequences of manipulating competitions?
In modern sports law, the boundaries between ethical misconduct and criminal offenses are becoming blurred. Manipulating match results via digital systems not only leads to disciplinary sanctions, but can also result in...
Does the transfer of financial data to the US under FATCA violate the GDPR?
In a ruling dated November 26, 2025, the Brussels Court of Appeal decided to refer thirteen questions for a preliminary ruling to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The key question is whether the automatic, mass...
Can Belgium still introduce its own AI rules?
The introduction of the European AI Act not only means a new set of rules for companies, but also a restriction of the Belgian legislator's powers. By opting for maximum harmonization, the EU has...
Liability of online platforms: end of the “Safe Harbor” for GDPR violations?
In a groundbreaking ruling, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that operators of online marketplaces are directly liable as data controllers for the...
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