Press, news & insights

We are pleased to welcome Mathijs van Noort to De Clercq & Partners as a Patent Adviser / Trainee European Patent Attorney.

With his background in mathematics, engineering, computer science and AI, he will strengthen our Engineering, Software & AI team and contribute his expertise in areas including AI, software, IoT, medical devices, computer-implemented inventions, and various practical applications using software & AI.

We wish Mathijs a great start and look forward to working together!

The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) has issued its long-awaited decision G 1/25 on 3 September 2026, clarifying when patent applicants and proprietors must adapt the description and drawings of a patent after amending the claims. We refer to our earlier articles of 16 March 2026  and 5 August 2025 on this subject. 

We are pleased to announce that our partner Koen Vanhalst has once again been recognised in the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists 2026.

The IAM Strategy 300 identifies leading professionals who are recognised for their ability to develop and implement strategies that maximise the value of intellectual property.

On June 17, 2026, the European Parliament adopted Regulation (EU) 2026/1388 on plants obtained by New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), which entered into force on July 16, 2026.

Negotiations for this new EU Regulation began after a CJEU decision in 2018, which ruled that plants obtained through targeted mutagenesis (such as the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique) were captured by the Regulation on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and all the strict requirements that entails, despite the fact that such NGT plants (cisgenesis and targeted mutagenesis) scientifically differ from traditional GMOs (transgenesis) in that they do not necessarily contain “foreign DNA”.

Anyone who still believes that artificial intelligence operates in a legal vacuum has probably spent the past two years somewhere without Wifi. The European AI Act is now very much with us and, since 2 August 2026, a number of its rules have become directly relevant to businesses that do not build AI systems, train foundation models or employ rooms full of data scientists. They simply use AI. In other words: almost everyone. 

De Clercq & Partners is delighted to announce that Anne-lore Bex and Filip Van Lysebetten have successfully passed the European Qualifying Examination (EQE) and are now officially qualified as European Patent Attorneys.

Passing the EQE is a significant professional achievement, requiring extensive technical expertise, legal knowledge and years of dedicated preparation. As European Patent Attorneys, Anne-Lore and Filip are qualified to represent clients before the European Patent Office (EPO), providing strategic advice and guidance throughout the European patent process.

De Clercq & Partners is proud to announce that our founding partner, Dr. Ann De Clercq, has once again been recognised in Managing IP's Top 250 Women in IP 2026. 

Following two successful editions, DCPeloton returns in 2027!

We are proud to announce that our Of Counsel, Trademark and Design Attorney Joost Muylle, has once again been recognised in the World Trademark Review Global Leaders 2026, in the category Benelux: Belgium Agencies.

We are proud to announce that De Clercq & Partners has once again been recognised in the IAM Patent 1000 2026, one of the leading international rankings for patent professionals and firms.