Bart Van Besien is an attorney at law in Belgium and co-founder of the law office of Finnian & Columba.

Bart can help you in the following branches of the law:

• Start-ups: including legal advice on the incorporation of companies, draft of platform agreements, terms and conditions, privacy policy, cookie policy, NDA’s, etc.
• Intellectual property: copyright, neighboring rights, trademarks (registration, advice, contracts, negotiations, procedures, etc.), tax advice on copyrights, image rights, design rights, software protection, protection of know-how and trade secrets, IP portfolio management, licensing agreements, and “droit de suite”.
• Internet & media law: domain names, IT & e-commerce, advertising law, freedom of expression, right of reply, right to be forgotten (removal requests), libel and defamation (reputation management), legal opinions and contract negotiations for media companies, authors, directors, producers, actors, etc.
• Advice and contract negotiations for the creative sector: writers, artists, photographers, musicians, actors, performers, television and film producers, game developers, software developers, web designers, publishers, architects, designers in various industries such as fashion, furniture, toys, etc.
• Art and law: Bart advises artists, art collectors, galleries, museums, and art foundations on various topics related to fine art and the law, including authentication disputes, export/import licenses, acquisitions, art finance (sponsorships, donations, leasing, etc.), art investments, tax optimization, collection management, artists’ representation, art preservation, cooperation agreements, exchange of artifacts, recovery of stolen or looted art, art auctions, estate planning, legacy issues, etc.
• Privacy and data protection: practical advice and assistance on the new rules and regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”); in-depth analysis of your business; and the adaptation of your contracts and company policies to the applicable privacy legislation.
• General contract law.
• Arbitration: Bart Van Besien has a solid experience with arbitration disputes, both as a lawyer and as an arbitrator. Bart is certified to act as an arbiter in IP disputes by FORUM (US), and in domain name disputes by Cepani (Belgium), FORUM (USA), Czech Arbitration Court (Czech Republic) and ADNDRC (Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur). Bart is also an arbiter for art disputes with Cafa (Court of Arbitration for Art).
• Sports law: including contract negotiations and portrait rights.
• Telecom Law: including rules on numbering, cable and satellite transmission, networks, etc.

Bart works fluently in English, Dutch and French. He also has knowledge of German and Spanish.

Bart is a registered “Trademark Representative” with EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) and is a member of various organizations and associations, including BMM (Benelux Association for Trademarks and Design Law), BVA (Belgian Association for Authors’ Rights), IAL (Institute for Art & Law), Cepani40 (arbitration), IABA (International Association of Boalt Alumni – University of California Berkeley Law), IBBA (Irish Belgian Business Association), VOKA (Flemish Netwerk of Enterprises), etc.