Yvan N. Desmedt

Partner

Yvan Desmedt advises clients on competition law and regulatory matters across a range of sectors, particularly in the regulated industries of telecoms, energy, and transport.

His competition law experience includes merger control at the EU and national levels as a notifying party or third-party opponent (Alenia/Sukhoi, SAP/Business Objects, Omya/Huber, Belgacom/Scarlet, Brambles/VTG, SES/GE Americom, and BT/AT&T). He also has worked on antitrust cases, including the MasterCard investigation of interchange fees case, the U.K. roaming case, and the Vitamins cartel at the EU level, as well as various infringement procedures conducted by the Belgian competition authorities. Yvan regularly advises on commercial agreements, including joint ventures, distribution, and licensing (Toyota and Milliken). He has advised trade associations, including the GSM Association and the Committee for Electronic Domestic Appliances (CECED), on compliance issues and horizontal cooperation.

Yvan also has significant litigation experience. He has represented a number of fixed and mobile operators against the incumbent in Belgium. These proceedings have involved cases before the competition authorities, the regulators, administrative courts, and civil courts. He has assisted telecoms clients in various matters such as frequency auctions, licensing issues, site-sharing, and access agreements.

Yvan regularly speaks at conferences and lectures. He is a member of the Brussels Seminar on European Law and Institutions, which is organized by the Institut d'Etudes Européennes and The University of Georgia.