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Michaël De Vroey

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Michaël De Vroey is a senior associate in the IP Practice Group in the Antwerp office. Michaël advises multinationals and SMEs on various aspects of Belgian and EU law, and defends their interests before the courts. Michaël focuses on IP (trade marks, patents, copyright, designs, customs seizures), commercial law, and dispute resolution in the Healthcare and Consumer Goods & Retail industry. He has been involved in national and multi-jurisdictional patent, copyright, design and trade mark litigation cases before the Belgian and EU courts and administrative bodies.

On appeal from the EUIPO Board of Appeal, the EU General Court has held that the slogan mark “IT’S LIKE MILK BUT MADE FOR HUMANS” is distinctive for foodstuff, including dairy substitutes. The inclusion of the word “but” called into question the commonly accepted idea that milk is a key element of the human diet; and thereby conveyed a message which is capable of setting off a cognitive process in the minds of the relevant…