Summary
Case note, written with Stijn Debaene, on a judgment of the Brussels Court of Appeal on the recovery of lawyers’ fees in intellectual property disputes after the CJEU’s United Video Properties judgment (C-57/15). The court held that Article 14 of the Enforcement Directive has no horizontal direct effect and cannot oblige the national court to set aside the caps of the Royal Decree of 26 October 2007. The authors argue that Article 159 of the Belgian Constitution nonetheless allows the judge to ensure that the winning party recovers at least a significant and appropriate part of its reasonable costs.
Reference
H. Haouideg en S. Debaene, "De doodsteek voor de verhaalbaarheid van de redelijke en evenredige advocatenkosten? Toch niet.", I.R.D.I., 2019/3-4, p. 274-278.