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Stijn Debaene

Partner

Stijn is a founding partner of CAST. He joined the Bar in 2000. Stijn is a seasoned IP litigator known for his unyielding resolve and incisive legal intuition. Courts respect him for his integrity and clarity. He litigates cases in all fields of IP. 


Beyond his IP practice, Stijn has established a robust sports law practice, representing professional athletes, teams and sports federations across the full spectrum of legal challenges.

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Languages

Dutch 

French 

English 

Spanish 

Italian

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Contact

stijn.debaene@cast-law.be

+32 473 53 65 40

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Admission

Brussels - Belgium 

(2000)

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Work Highlights

  • Representing a multinational in the food industry in patent infringement proceedings before the Mannheim Local Division of the Unified Patent Court in relation to a patent for a packaging method for food ingredients. 


  • Representing a Japanese medical device company in a dispute with a company incorporated by ex-employees regarding the misappropriation of trade secrets in relation to the detection of Alzheimer's disease. 


  • Representing a Spanish importer of king crab fished in the Kamchatka region in Russia in the defense against proceedings initiated by the owner of the Chatka trade mark. 


  • Representing a leading children's entertainment company in a copyright dispute regarding the unauthorized use of one of its cartoon characters in a marketing campaign. 


  • Representing an importer of bananas in the EU in arbitration proceedings before the German Arbitration Institute (DIS) against the owner of a certification mark which had prohibited the importer from further using its certification mark because of alleged violations of the regulations of use. 


  • Representing a professional cyclist in proceedings initiated by Belgian Cycling for an alleged doping-related offense. 


  • Representing a professional football player in gagging order proceedings against an individual threatening to disclose to the tabloid press sensitive information about the football player's private life. 


  • Representing a major telecommunications operator in appeal proceedings against the refusal of the registration of its corporate color as a trade mark. 


  • Performing a freedom-to-operate analysis for a company wanting to commercialize naturally occurring microorganisms that stimulate the growth of specific crops. 


  • Negotiating on behalf of a TV distributor an agreement regarding the broadcasting of Premier League games.

Education

  • Columbia University, LL.M., 2003


  • KU Brussel, Master in IP law, 2002


  • KU Leuven, Master of Laws, 1996

Professional honors

Stijn is consistently mentioned as leading lawyer in Belgium in publications such as Chambers, Legal 500, IAM Patent 1000, WTR 1000 and Managing IP: 


  • "Stijn Debaene commands the courtroom with the eloquence of a seasoned rhetorician and the precision of a strategic operator. His legal instincts are honed for high-impact disputes, particularly in the media and telecom sectors, where his advocacy consistently sets precedent." (WTR 1000, 2026) 


  • "Stijn Debaene is very clever and very quick in determining a strategy." (Chambers, 2026)


  • "Stijn Debaene is a highly respected intellectual property attorney with an impressive reputation for strategic insight, technical acumen and an unyielding commitment to client success." (Legal 500, 2025)


  • "Stijn Debaene comes with innovative solutions in complex IP disputes. He consistently achieves favourable outcomes and has deep expertise in patent litigation" (Chambers, 2025)

Professional associations & memberships

  • Benelux Association for Trademarks and Design Law (BMM) - Member


  • International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) - Member

Recent publications and speaking engagements

  • BMM Voorjaarsvergadering, Overzicht van Europese rechtspraak, 26 March 2026 


  • Benelux Merkendag, De dood of de gladiolen, Amsterdam, 12 December 2025 


  • Razor Reel AI-dag, AI en auteursrechten, Brugge, 28 October 2025

Professional Appointments and Board Memberships

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