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Hoyng Monegier was set up on New Year's Day 2011, replacing the American law firm Howrey. IP partners, it seems, had become frustrated with the amount of work they were turning away and decided to break off to become an independent firm with offices in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain. The firm hired Simon Dack, Joris van Manen and Marlou van de Braak to bolster its practice in patent litigation, trade marks and copyright respectively. "It has some of the best IP lawyers in the country now," says one competitor. "You're in pretty safe hands there. Just look at the breadth."

Willem Hoyng, one of the founders of the new firm, says: "This is a venture. But based on the quality of the staff and the clientele they will bring, this will be an exciting prospect from day one."

Hoyng Monegier was officially established in January 2011 by the demerged IP team of Howrey. The new firm keeps its team of leading partners Carl de Meyer, Benoît Strowel, Fabienne Brison and Steven Cattoor, and adds to it renowned copyright expert Benoît Michaux from Simont Braun. The group will also hold on to all its key clients, most notably Philips and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). In 2010, De Meyer led a team representing Philips before the CJ regarding counterfeit regulations for goods in transit: the outcome will determine how the Customs Counterfeit Regulation will be applied in the future. Strowel defended GSK before the EPO and national court against Novartis in a patent dispute, of which some aspects were referred to the Belgian Supreme Court, and in trade marks the team helped Megabrands successfully oppose a Lego trade mark registration before the European General Court in Luxemburg and at the CJ. "We are very satisfied," says a client, "[the team] combines legal theory with business practice on a high level." Another client says: "de Meyer and Carina Gommers stand out. Both attorneys balance their style between aggression and moderation to great effect. They are pro-active and are regarded as much a business partner as an attorney."