Important legal news, current laws and events | Law and More
Eindhoven is amongst others known for its airport ‘Eindhoven airport’. Those who choose to live close to Eindhoven Airport will have to take account of the possible nuisance of overflying aircrafts. However, one local Dutch resident found that this nuisance had become too serious and demanded compensation of loss. The […]
In the Netherlands, much importance is attached to the workers’ right to strike. Dutch employers must tolerate strikes, including the negative consequences this may have for them, as long as the “rules of play” are met. To ensure that employees are not deterred from the use of this right, the […]
Almost all Dutch radio stations are known to regularly give away concert tickets for promotional purposes. Yet, this is not always lawful. The Dutch Commissariat for the Media has recently given NPO Radio 2 and 3FM a rap over the knuckles. The reason? A public broadcaster is characterized by independence. […]
Imagine this: you come across an offer on the internet that appears too good to be true. Due to a typo, that beautiful laptop carries a price tag of 150 euros instead of 1500 euros. You quickly decide to benefit from this deal and decide to purchase the laptop. Can […]
Many people often forget to think about the possible consequences when posting certain content on Facebook. Whether intentional or extremely naïve, this case was certainly far from clever: a 23-year-old Dutchman recently received a legal injunction, as he had decided to show free movies (amongst which movies playing in theaters) […]
There will be very few Dutch people that are not yet aware of the dragging issues concerning the Groningen earthquakes, caused by gas drilling. The court has ruled that the ‘Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij’ (Dutch Petroleum Company) should pay compensation for nonmaterial damage to a part of the inhabitants of the […]
A common complaint in the legal world is that lawyers generally tend to wield incomprehensible legalese. Apparently, this is not always a problem. Judge Hansje Loman and registrar Hans Braam of the court of Amsterdam recently received the ‘Klare Taalbokaal 2016’ (Clear Language Trophy 2016) for writing the most comprehensible […]
It can happen to anyone: you and your car get involved in a car accident and your car is totaled. The calculation of the damage to the totaled vehicle often leads to a fierce debate. The Dutch Supreme Court provides clarity and has determined that in that case one can […]
Earlier, we wrote about the possibility of digital litigation. On March 1, the Dutch Supreme Court (the highest court of the Netherlands) officially started with this digital litigation, as part of the KEI program. This means that civil action cases can be submitted to and examined by the court digitally. […]
The controversial recent accidents with the self-driving car have clearly not put off the Dutch industry and government. Recently, a bill has been adopted by the Dutch cabinet which makes it possible to conduct on-road experiments with self-driving cars without the driver being physically present in the vehicle. Up until […]
Not every organization performs its activities with integrity. Many, however, are afraid to sound the alarm, now experience has repeatedly shown that whistleblowers were not always sufficiently protected. The House for Whistleblowers Act, which entered into force in July 2016, was meant to change this and lays down rules for […]
The Pastafarians: the supporters of the somewhat absurd belief in the flying spaghetti monster. It has grown to be a real phenomenon. Supporters of the Pastafarianism have repeatedly made the news for their wish to be photographed for their passports or identity cards with a colander on their head. The […]
Employers should pay attention to the circumstances under which they wish to dismiss an employee. This is once again proven by a judgment of the district court in Assen. A hospital had to pay its employee (a pharmacist) a transition allowance of € 45,000 and an equitable remuneration of € […]
The Dutch judicial system is innovating. From March 1, 2017 it will become possible to litigate digitally at the Dutch Supreme Court in civil claim cases. In essence, the cassation procedure remains the same. However, it will become possible to initiate proceedings online (a kind of digital summons) and to […]
By this time, probably everyone will have noticed: president Trump’s popularity has even further decreased since he introduced his controversial travel ban. Dutch media already reported that six Iranians were stranded on the Dutch airport Schiphol, as they were traveling from Teheran to the United States. Earlier, a court in […]
The essence of mandatory law is generally that one cannot simply derogate from such provisions. Nonetheless, the Dutch Civil Code states in article 7:902 that one may derogate from mandatory law by means of a settlement agreement, when this agreement is intended to end an existing uncertainty or dispute and […]
The smartphone has become an essential part of the Dutch streetscape. It should, however, not become a constant factor; especially not in the professional environment. Recently, a Dutch judge ruled that the use of WhatsApp during working hours falls within the scope of the principle ‘no work, no pay’. In […]
On January 1, a French law came into force on the basis of which employees may turn off their smartphones outside of working hours and thus may cut off the access to their work email. This measure is a consequence of the increased pressure of always having to be available […]
B.F. Skinner once said “The real question is not whether machines think but whether men do”. This saying is highly applicable to the new phenomenon of the self-driving car and to the way society deals with this product. For instance, one has to start thinking about the influence of the […]
According to numbers and figures of the Dutch SER (Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands), the amount of Dutch mergers has skyrocketed. Compared to 2015 the number of mergers increased by 22% in 2016. These mergers mainly took place in the service- and industrial sectors. Also companies in the […]
As a law firm situated at the Science Park in Eindhoven, we attach great value to start-up entrepreneurs. As we wrote yesterday, the government also recognizes the importance of startups, which she confirms with the recent publication of the list of changes that are to take place in 2017. Entrepreneurs […]
The Netherlands has once again proven itself to be a good breeding ground for both national and international companies, as follows from various figures and results of research reports as published by the government just before new year. The economy draws a rosy picture, with a steady growth and falling […]
In litigation one can always expect a lot of wrangling and he-said-she-said. To further clarify the case, the court may order the hearing of witnesses. One of the characteristics of such a hearing is the spontaneity. To obtain the answers as unrehearsed as possible, the hearing will take place ‘spontaneously’ […]
