People

UPC Representative, Attorney at Law and Patent Litigation Expert
Founder of Altius De Clercq

Kirian Claeyé is a patent litigation expert with more than fifteen years’ experience in patent litigation. His practice includes high-profile patent disputes and Unified Patent Court litigation. He advises and represents clients before the Belgian courts — including the Supreme Court — and the Unified Patent Court. He focuses on turning complex litigation into clear, commercially grounded strategies that support informed and timely decision-making.

Since the earliest days of the UPC, Kirian has been actively involved in proceedings before the Unified Patent Court. He has acted in the first proceedings filed before the Belgian Local Division and has further experience before other UPC divisions. He has handled proceedings on the merits and evidence-gathering matters on both sides. His practice includes appellate proceedings before the UPC Court of Appeal, where he has successfully pleaded and obtained rulings on procedural issues.

Kirian’s work spans multiple fora and perspectives. He primarily represents innovative, research-driven companies. But his broad experience gives him a detailed understanding of patent litigation strategies on both sides of the courtroom. He regularly acts in cross-border enforcement teams and understands how to align client strategies across multiple jurisdictions. Kirian knows that efficiency, consistency and strategic alignment are key.

His litigation practice spans the full spectrum of clients. These range from individual inventors, over technology-driven SMEs, to large multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences companies.

Kirian is also active in legal scholarship and professional engagement in the field of patent litigation. He is a member of the European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW) and regularly speaks on patent litigation. He also contributes in writing to the development and discussion of patent litigation practice. Kirian is co-author of the Belgian chapter on Patent Protection for Second Medical Uses. He also co-authors the three-yearly overview of Belgian patent case law, together with Christophe Ronse and Philippe de Jong, the sixth edition of which is scheduled for publication in 2026.

Recommended expert in Patent Litigation in Healthcare & Life Sciences in Belgium – Lexology, 2025