News

Our lawyers are specialist in a various fields. Laws and regulations are constantly changing and can be difficult to follow. Our specialists help you stay informed with articles, events and white papers.


03 May 2022
Joost Vrancken-Peeters launches Vietnamese-Dutch strategic alliance
The newly created DBAV-NVCC platform is a strategic alliance between the Dutch Business Association Vietnam (DBAV) and the Netherlands-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce. Partner at our firm Joost Vrancken Peeters will be active as chairman of the board of the DBAV-NVCC platform, which will facilitate trade and investment activities between both nations. As the director of our Asia desk, Joost has extensive experience in (advising on) doing business with Vietnamese companies in The Netherlands and Dutch companies in Vietnam. Next to his role as chairman, Joost will continue his activities at our firm.
29 June 2021
The shareholders' agreement: 5 points of importance
A shareholders’ agreement (‘SHA’) may prevent discussions or conflicts between shareholders internally and also between the shareholders and the company. It is not mandatory to draw up a SHA, but this is highly recommended in case the shares are held by more than one shareholder. Freedom of contract is therefore largely paramount. In this blog we cover 5 specific points of attention regarding the shareholders' agreement.
21 June 2021
How to register your medical devices in China
China has a very potential market for your medical devices mainly due to a large population. Moreover, especially for the innovative high-end devices, China still relies on import. The export of your medical devices to China is one of the market entry modes. It allows for faster market entry and requires relatively lower capital investment.
12 June 2021
How to register your medical devices in China
China has a very potential market for your medical devices mainly due to a large population. Moreover, especially for the innovative high-end devices, China still relies on import. The export of your medical devices to China is one of the market entry modes. It allows for faster market entry and requires relatively lower capital investment. As in Europe, China imposes rather strict rules on medical devices than on other products as those are human health-related and risks involved. Medical devices in China are mainly regulated by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), which has been recently revised and has taken effect as of June 1, 2021. Prior to commercializing your medical devices in China, you need to register your devices, or namely obtaining certain approvals from the NMPA according to the NMPA regulation. The revised regulation to a certain degree simplifies the procedure. Generally speaking, the following steps need to be taken for the registration of your medical devices at the NMPA.
01 April 2021
Chinese foreigners’ visa policy has been eased
From March 2020, China has been enforcing extensive entry bans for foreigners to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. Foreigners’ visa were halted to issue for almost a year except for urgency. The bans are temporally being eased to some extent since March 2021.
17 December 2020
Is the outbreak of the Coronavirus Force Majeure?
Apart from the human tragedy, the Coronavirus will also have negative economic consequences. Among which, it is estimated that lots of contracts can not be performed as expected. So, whether Corona can be deemed as Force Majeure to get an exemption of liabilities for breach of contract, is a question that we would like to figure out. Another question is whether delayed performance or termination of contract is allowed.
14 December 2020
Two reasons why you must include a diplomatic clause in your rental agreement
A Diplomatic clause has become very common in rental agreements. There are two different forms of diplomatic clauses. The first form applies to persons (for example, diplomats) who want to rent out their homes when they go abroad. This form of the diplomatic clause has its basis in article 7:274 of the Dutch Civil Code (hereinafter: “Diplomatic clause 1”). The second form applies to employers who want to provide accommodation to their employees who are temporally working far away from their homes. As an employer, you do not wish to be bound to a rental agreement if your employee has to leave. Therefore, you should include a diplomatic clause in the rental agreement (hereinafter: “the Diplomatic Clause 2”).
10 December 2020
China’s Export Control Law has come into effect as of 1 December 2020
The new China’s Export Control Law (“CECL”) was passed on 17 October 2020 by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. It unifies the several regulations and has come into effect as of 1 December 2020. CECL aims to fulfill international obligations, safeguard national security and national interests, and enhance export control by introducing restrictions on the export of specific items.
28 October 2020
Protect your trade secrets in China: an improvement!
On September 4, 2020, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation released the Draft Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets in order to strengthen the protection of trade secrets, stop the infringement of trade secrets, encourage research and development and innovation, and maintain the market order of fair competition.
13 October 2020
Intellectual Property protection in China: the last step
Last week a client asked me: “what is the most asked question when you are discussing doing business in China?” My answer will not surprise you: How can I protect my trademark in China? In this blog I will discuss the steps to successful protection of IP in China.
23 July 2020
Dutch UBO-register will enter into force on 27 September 2020
The Ultimate Beneficial Owner (“UBO”) register will enter into force on 27 September 2020. This register was based on an implementation bill that resulted from the fourth and fifth anti-money laundering directives by the European Parliament. The Dutch UBO register will be introduced as part of the Trade Register. This creates an obligation for legal entities established in the Netherlands and other legal entities to have and keep track of information about their UBOs. This information must be entered in the Trade Register.
22 June 2020
Vietnam's National Assembly ratifies the EVFTA and EVIPA
Last week the National Assembly of Vietnam has voted to ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). This ratification is the next step in the implementation of the EVFTA. The EVIPA will be implemented later, because it needs to be ratified in each individual EU member State.