Flip Petillion is a leading domestic and international litigator and arbitrator.
Flip has been handling complex court litigations and arbitrations for 35 years. Matters were related to the following industries: Antitrust and Competition, Art, Attachments, Automotive, Aviation and Aerospace, Banking and Finance, Construction, Engineering and Turnkey Projects, Defence Projects, Distribution, Agency and Franchising, Energy and Natural Resources, Fashion, Hospitality and Hotel Management, Information and Communication Technology, Insurance and Reinsurance, Intellectual Property, Internet, Investments, Joint Ventures, Consortia and Cooperation, Licensing, Maritime, Media, Broadcasting and Entertainment, Pharmaceuticals, Post Mergers and Acquisitions, Post Privatisation, Postal, Publishing, Sales and Purchases, Sports Law, Telecommunications, Transport.
He represents multinationals and first-class individual portfolio holders.
- Master of Laws - Graduated from Leuven University (1987) magna cum laude
- Postgraduate in International Economic Law from Dubrovnik University (1988)
- Postgraduate in Telecommunications Law from Leuven University (1998)
- Postgraduate in Telecommunications, Strategy and Regulation from Ghent University (1999)
- WIPO Negotiation and Mediation Program by Professor Robert H. Mnookin of Harvard Law School (2008)
- Member of the Belgian winning team of the international competition of the 1987 edition of the international Philip C. Jessup Law Moot Court Competition, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Coach of the Belgian winning team of the international competition of the 1988 edition of the international Charles Rousseau Law Moot Court Competition, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Flip Petillion is a leading domestic and international negotiator, litigator and arbitrator. He appeared before Belgian Courts, and the General Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Flip Petillion has acted as counsel and also served as chairman, sole arbitrator and party-appointed arbitrator in arbitration proceedings under the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC, Paris, France), the International Dispute Resolution Center (ICDR, New York, NY, USA), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland), the International Trademark Association (New York, NY, USA), the National Arbitration Forum (Minneapolis, MN, USA), the Independent Film and Television Association (Los Angeles, CA, USA), the Czech Arbitration Court (CAC, Prague, Czech Republic), the Nederlands Arbitrage Instituut (NAI, Rotterdam, the Netherlands), the Asian International Arbitration Center (AIAC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), the Belgian Centre for Sports Arbitration (C-SAR, Brussels, Belgium), and the Belgian Mediation and Arbitration Centre (CEPANI, Brussels, Belgium).
Before founding PETILLION in 2017, Flip was a partner in a U.S. law firm (International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution department; Intellectual Property department).
Flip’s volunteer work includes being the CFO of the Brussels Bar, presiding the Greener Arbitration Committee of CEPANI, presiding the GDPR Task Force of CEPANI, presiding the ICC IP and IT Commission, representing the Council of Flemish Bars in the Council of European bars.
- Flip has been acting as deputy judge in the Court of Appeals of Brussels since 2009.
- He lectures at, i.a., Leuven University and Beneluxstichting Beroepsopleiding Merken- en Modellengemachtigden (BBMM).
- Flip is a member of the council of the Brussels Bar.
- Representing Namecheap in an international arbitration against ICANN regarding a regulatory decision to remove price caps in wholesale transactions for the registration of domain names in legacy top-level domains (ICDR administered arbitration).
- Representing Beevers Kaas, the exclusive distributor of Beemster cheese in Belgium, in a distribution and competition case against Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn (proceedings before the Antwerp Court of Appeal, Belgian Competition Authority and the Court of Justice of the European Union).
- Representing Inter Ikea in an IP infringement case against the political party Vlaams Belang (proceedings before the Brussels Court of Appeal and the Court of Justice of the European Union).
- Represented the Belgian government before the Court of Justice of the European Union, defending the implementation of the postal services directive.
- Advised the Belgian government on the implementation and promotion of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution to resolve intellectual property disputes out of court.
- Counsel and Arbitrator in international commercial arbitrations (ICDR (AAA), ICC and CEPANI administered arbitrations).
- Arbitrator in the matter of Koninklijke voetbalvereniging Oostende against the Royal Belgian Football Association (C-SAR).
- Co-arbitrator in the matter of Royal Excelsior Virton against the Royal Belgian Football Association (C-SAR).
Books
- Guide to the Alternative Resolution of Intellectual Property Rights Disputes, 2022, FPS Economy, Belgium. French and Dutch editions. Authors: Flip Petillion, Jan Janssen, Diégo Noesen.
- Competing for the internet. ICANN Gate – An Analysis and a plea for judicial review through arbitration, 2017, Kluwer. Authors: Flip Petillion and Jan Janssen.
- EU Marks a Quarter of a Century, Intersentia Cambridge, 2022. Editor.
- “Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights in the European Member States”, Intersentia Cambridge, 2019,Intersentia. Editor and author.
- The implementation of IP Enforcement Directive 2004/48/EC in Belgium (Handhaving van intellectuele rechten in België / Respect des droit intellectuels en Belgique), 2017, Larcier. Editor and author.
- Case Law overview on Intellectual Property, RABG (editions 2007-2021). Editor and author.
- Case Law overview on Information Technology, RABG (editions 2017-2021). Editor and author.
Articles
- In preparation: Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in Arbitration (b-Arbitra, 2024).
- “GDPR in Arbitration: A guide to GDPR Compliant Data Controlling and Processing in National and International Commercial Arbitration”, in VANDENBUSSCHE, W. (ED.), DE MEULEMEESTER, D. (ED.), FONCKE, V. (ED.), TACK, S. (ED.), Arbitrage, bemiddeling en andere vormen van conflictafhandeling: vandaag en morgen, Kluwer, 2023, 71-107. Authors: Flip Petillion and Jan Janssen.
- “Greener Arbitrations: the role of arbitration institutions”, in The CEPANI & NAI Approach Towards Topical Trends in Arbitration, Kluwer, 2022, 87-104.
- Arbitration and model texts for arbitrations, Modellen voor het bedrijfsleven, Kluwer (May, 2021).
- Living-up to promises in Covid-19 Times – Advocating Force Majeure, Hardship and other concepts, petillion.law (May 2021).
- Litigation and enforcement in Belgium, Practical law, Thomson Reuters, January March 2021.
- Arbitration procedures and practice in Belgium, Practical law, Thomson Reuters, January 2021.
- Belgium chapter in S. ARNERSTÅL (ED.), International Trademark Licensing, Kluwer, 2021, 5-32. Authors: Flip Petillion, Jan Janssen, Diégo Noesen.
- The Future of Arbitration – Identifying processes that could usefully be adopted in international commercial arbitration, ICCA 2018, Kluwer, (2020), 769-808.
- Choosing an Arbitrator, Practical law, Thomson Reuters, 2019.
- Bifurcation of Disputes at Transaction Level, petillion.law (April 2018).
- Dispute resolution in Belgium, Practical law, Thomson Reuters, 2018.
- Legal Costs recovery. Special edition celebrating RABG’s 15th anniversary (2018).
- Law Business Research Trademarks Law Review, Belgian Chapter.
- Chambers & Partners Global Practice Guide 2018 on Telecom, Media & Technology (TMT), Belgian Chapter. Authors: Flip Petillion, Jan Janssen, Diégo Noesen.
- Legal 500 Belgian Report on IP. Authors: Flip Petillion, Jan Janssen, Diégo Noesen.
- The ICC Intellectual Property Roadmap. Current and Emerging Issues for Business and Policy Makers (13th Edition) (2017). Co-author.
- “The UDRP road so far: successes”, Trademarks & Brands Online (November 2016). Co-author.
- The composition of the arbitration tribunal, in Liber Amicorum Professor Michel Flamée, 2016.
- The ICC Commission on Intellectual Property: Questionnaire on Specialized IP Jurisdictions (October 2016), Co-author.
- Comment on the Madonna case related to the alleged copyright infringement and the song ‘Frozen’), Ingénieur Conseil (June 2016).
- “Can self-regulation do the job?”, Trademarks & Brands Online (March 2016). Co-author.
List of older publications available on request