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Tom Heremans

Brussels, Belgium
Languages
  • Dutch
  • English
  • French
  • German
Social media

Tom specialises in intellectual law (mainly trademarks and copyrights), advertising and marketing law, internet and electronic commerce, media and technology, privacy, distribution law and commercial litigation.

His clients include major consumer goods companies, domain name registries, retailers, e-commerce companies, media companies and international football organisations.

Tom was called to the Brussels Bar in 1991.

Awards & Recognitions
01 –
  • Quote
    "Tom Heremans is a really brilliant lawyer. He is very hardworking and his theories are really to the point."
    Feedback from a client, Chambers Europe, 2026
  • Quote
    "Tom Heremans shows a lot of expertise in the Belgian media market."
    Feedback from a client, Chambers Europe, 2026
  • Quote
    "Tom Heremans aided and advised us many times. He has thorough knowledge of IP and IT law. He also adapts quickly to every situation and gives on-point advice."
    Feedback from a client, Legal 500, 2026
  • Quote
    "Tom Heremans adds strong credentials in copyright, trademark, patent, advertising and e-commerce issues."
    Legal 500, 2026
  • Quote
    "Tom Heremans is very easy to work with."
    Feedback from a client, Chambers Europe, 2026
  • Quote
    "Tom Heremans always gives good and pragmatic advice."
    Feedback from a client, Chambers Europe, 2026
  • Quote
    "Tom Heremans is a pleasure to work with."
    Feedback from a client, Chambers Europe, 2026
  • Quote
    “Tom Heremans and Lisbeth Depypere leverage their extensive litigation expertise to make all the right strategic decisions and execute litigation strategies with calm precision, consistently achieving client-defined victories.”
    WTR 1000, 2025, Silver
  • Quote
    "[Tom Heremans] has thorough expertise, is easily accessible, works within short deadlines, gives clear and professional advice."
    Feedback from a client - Legal 500, 2025
  • Quote
    "Tom has a very deep insight and knowledge of our business and is the go-to person when it comes down to defending our positions in litigation."
    Intellectual Property client, Chambers Europe, 2024
  • Quote
    "Tom is an excellent lawyer with a very broad scope of hands-on knowledge. He is an excellent communicator and a reassuring element of the team."
    Chambers Europe, 2023
  • Quote
    "Total willingness to evaluate legal matters in consideration of the client’s interests. High degree of availability for the development of strategies, both procedural and non-procedural. Professional guidance in court proceedings. Tom Heremans and Lisbeth Depypere stand out."
    Feedback from a client - Legal 500, 2023

Relevant experience

  • Proceedings before the Court of Justice of the EU with regard to trademarks and platforms (C-148/21), copyright and related rights for satellite broadcasting (C-431/09), and to misleading advertising (C-239/02)
  • Represented a printing company before the Belgian Supreme Court regarding the alleged counterfeit of software
  • Assisting a cosmetics company in a trademark dispute before the Benelux Court of Justice.
  • Assisting in arbitration proceedings concerning the broadcasting rights of a sports competition that was discontinued during the coronavirus crisis
  • Providing advice to national and international companies regarding sales promotions, comparative advertising and greenwashing
  • Advising sports organisations on piracy and customs matters and taking action against ambush marketing
  • Representing multinationals in trademark disputes (e.g. injunctive relief proceedings, counterfeit seizures, customs seizures, claims for damages, …)
  • Conducting domain name disputes as an accredited “.com” or “.be” panellist or acting as plaintiff or defendant for national and international domain name holders
  • Providing advice to a sector association about developing an AI policy.

Publications

  • T. HEREMANS, “101 marketingvragen juridisch beantwoord”, fifth edition, Larcier Intersentia, 2025, 316 pages, available here
  • T. HEREMANS and E. LE GRELLE, "Droit du marketing - 101 questions / réponses” (in French), Larcier Intersentia, November 2023, 349 pages, available here
  • T. HEREMANS, “Belgium - Sustainability claims and greenwashing”, cms.law, 2022, available here
  • T. HEREMANS, “Mitsubishi: rots in de-branding van alternatief merkgebruik”, BMM Bulletin, 2019, p. 69-80

Memberships & Roles

  • Lecturer at Odisee (KULeuven) on the legal aspects of marketing and of social media
  • Former president of the Benelux Trade Mark Association (BMM)
  • Winner of the Wim Mak Award in 2006 of the Benelux Trade Mark Association (BMM)
  • Member of the International Trademark Association (INTA)
  • Member of the Belgian Copyright Law Association
  • Member of the editorial board of the intellectual property journal I.R.D.I. and of the BMM Bulletin

Education

  • 1998 - University of California - Los Angeles, USA (LL.M.)
  • 1993 - University of Brussels, ULB - Belgium (Postgraduate in Business Law)
  • 1991 - Bar admission (Brussels, Belgium)
  • 1991 - University of Brussels, VUB - Belgium (Law Degree)
Practice Areas
Intellectual Property Commercial Law
sectors
TMC - Technology, Media & Communications Consumer Products

Further reading

Insights by Tom

See all Insights
Legal Update Belgium

Greenwashing and legal guarantee: what changes for businesses in Belgium from 27 September 2026?

28 Sep 2026 4 min read
Legal Update Belgium

Belgian consumer law reform: new rules on online sales, subscription renewals, sustainability claims and consumer complaints

23 Sep 2026 7 min read
Legal Update Belgium

The case of Netflix versus the French-speaking Community in Belgium partially decided in favour of the latter by the Belgian Constitutional Court

25 Aug 2026 6 min read
Legal Update Belgium

The end of stringent rules on “sales” in Belgium

28 May 2026 4 min read
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