Thomas de Weerd

Attorney-at-law | Partner

Thomas is an experienced lawyer specializing in digital technology law, IT and technology contracting, outsourcing and intellectual property. He leads Houthoff’s IT and Intellectual Property Practice and has over 20 years of experience in advising national and international clients on technology-related transactions, outsourcing and complex technology contracts. In addition, he advises on digital business and platforms, cyber incidents and digital legislation (NIS2, Data Act, AI Act, DORA). Thomas leads negotiations and represents clients in legal disputes involving IT, data and intellectual property matters. He has experience as an in-house counsel for technology and internet companies.

Thomas is President and member of the Executive Board of Techlaw, a global network of technology-focused law firms (28 firms in 50 countries), of which Houthoff is the member for the Netherlands. In addition, Thomas is a board member of the Netherlands Association for Information Technology Lawyers (VIRA) and the International Federation of Computer Law Advocates (IFCLA).

Recent Work

Advised Industrial Food Automation Coöperatief U.A., a company affiliated with Investindustrial and comprising the Kiremko, Idaho Steel and Reyco brands, on its acquisition of Tummers Group and Van der Giessen. The combined group has been renamed Foodera Technologies.

Advised Orkla Foods on its acquisition of a 40% stake in Go-Tan, a leading European brand within Asian sauces, marking a strategic investment aligned with Orkla’s growth ambitions in the sauces segment.

Advised Avego Healthcare Capital Fund II, L.P., a U.S. healthcare fund, on its EUR 25 million growth equity investment in myTomorrows, an Amsterdam‑headquartered health technology company that connects patients, physicians, trial sites and biopharma partners with pre‑approval treatments through a centralized, AI‑enabled, multi‑stakeholder platform.

Advised and represented Investindustrial Group Investments S.A R.L. ("Investindustrial") on its acquisition of Kiremko, Idaho Steel and Reyco, collectively one of the leaders in the design and manufacture of customized equipment and solutions for the food processing industry with a focus on potato processing systems.

Advised Nedvest and Techone, a leading Dutch Managed Service Provider and trusted IT partner for SMEs, on the sale of Techone B.V. to KKR.

Advised and represented Agilitas Private Equity Services Limited on the acquisition of TenCate Advanced Armour Holding B.V., the global leading manufacturer of lightweight survivability solutions.

Advised Authentic Brands Group LLC, together with Latham & Watkins, with the acquisition of a controlling ownership interest in substantially all of the intellectual property of Guess?,Inc..

Advising the shareholders of Recharge.com, including the founders, on selling their shares in GC Holding B.V. to Coda. CG Holding B.V. operates under the name Recharge.com and is the European market leader in mobile top-up, gift cards and prepaid money. Coda is the global market leader in digital content monetization.

Advises Lumileds International on a definitive agreement under which San’an Optoelectronics and Inari Amertron Berhad will acquire Lumileds Holding B.V. and its European and Asian subsidiaries.

Advised IK Partners and QConcepts on the acquisition of VanLoman. With this strategic collaboration, QConcepts and VanLoman will continue to operate independently while combining their strengths within the same quality platform. VanLoman is active in the market for high-quality advice in the field of Dutch taxes.

Advising Freshstream Investments LLP on entering into a strategic partnership with leading Dutch jewellery and lifestyle brand ‘My Jewellery’, together with CEO and founder Sharon Hilgers and CFO/CTO Vilmar Bliekendaal.

Represented Ola Cabs before the Amsterdam Court of Appeal in the case of three London app drivers invoking their data protection rights to get personal data and information from Ola Cabs regarding automated decision-making.

Advised Dutch National Opera & Ballet, one of the world’s foremost opera and ballet companies, on all its copyright, licensing and music rights matters.

Lodged a B2B complaint with the Dutch Advertising Code Committee (RCC) on behalf of Marktplaats (a classified advertising site based in the Netherlands) against Pakkie (a payment and delivery service company).

Advised TBAuctions Netherlands B.V. on its acquisition of Epic Auctions.

Advised Castik Capital S.à r.l. regarding the acquisition of a majority stake in WATR Group, a market leader in groundwater management and (ground-)water purification from funds advised by Borromin Capital.

Advised the ad hoc group of secured lenders to Tupperware Brands Corporation in connection with the Chapter 11 case of Tupperware Brands and its subsidiaries filed in Wilmington, Delaware.

Advised Bridgepoint Advisers II Limited as a local counsel on its acquisition of the SK AeroSafety group, specialising in maintenance, repair, overhaul and the design and manufacture of aerospace systems and components.

Advised SPS Commerce, Inc. on the acquisition of all business and operations of TIE Kinetix, listed on Euronext Amsterdam.

Advised IK Partners on the acquisition of an economical majority stake in QConcepts Beheer B.V., a fast growing Dutch audit-focused specialist.

Advised 3i on the sale of the Weener Plastics group, producer of high-quality plastic packaging products, to US manufacturing company Silgan Holdings.

Represented classified advertisement platform Marktplaats, seeking the transfer of the domain names 'marktplaatsnederland.nl' and 'marktplaatsbelgië'. The disputed domain names were used to operate a scam by redirecting Internet users to third-party websites and fake advertisements.

Advised Angelo Gordon on the acquisition of shares and membership rights in 26 entities, resulting in the acquisition of a real estate portfolio consisting of 86 buildings with 2,946 residential units and commercial spaces by a group of investors led by TPG Angelo Gordon for an amount of approximately EUR 700 million.

More recent work

Qualifications

Specialisation Course Information Law (Grotius Academy)
Business Law (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Business Economics (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
Admitted to the Bar in the Netherlands in 1999

Additional positions

Languages

Expertise

Intellectual Property

Intellectual property is extremely valuable for many companies. By exploiting intellectual property rights, investments in innovation can be recouped. By enforcing intellectual property rights, competitors can be kept at bay.

IT

IT plays a crucial role in today’s business operations – and with rapid innovation come complex legal challenges. From cloud services and outsourcing agreements to data protection and litigation, we help navigate risks and seize opportunities.

Privacy & Data Protection

The growing use of personal data by companies, government bodies and other organisations has created a legal framework that is constantly evolving. Almost every organisation processes personal data, such as information on users, customers, employees and business contacts.

Automotive

The automotive sector is undergoing major shifts. Today’s fast-changing world means that dealer and repair networks are being restructured, leading to the gradual disappearance of traditional distribution methods and the constant amendment of EU regulations.

Financial Services

The financial sector is subject to increasing regulation, both within and outside Europe. It has become more complex and challenging for financial institutions to continuously anticipate and comply with constantly changing regulations.

Retail & Consumer Goods

The inevitable shift to omni-channel selling leads to more complex distribution and data processing and requires strategic collaborations and good chain directors to create and maintain a level playing field.

FinTech

The financial markets are changing faster than ever before, due to large- scale disruptive innovations like Blockchain, cryptocurrencies and AI solutions as well as numerous start-ups.

Technology

Whether it's about the largest and fastest-growing companies having technology at the core of their business model, financial institutions developing new ways to commercialise their services or industrials relying heavily on technology for their products – technology is top of mind.

Domainnames

Domain names are the gateway to your company's global presence. Having control over your brand online is essential for its reputation and continued success.

Software Deals

M&A is an efficient way for companies to gain access to new software solutions and assets, including skilled and specialised people. We view a successful M&A software deal as one where the strategic options have been considered, a healthy risk-profile has been completed, and most importantly, where value has been created over time.

"Thomas de Weerd works easily on detailed legal texts and keeps an oversight on complex projects. He is an excellent communicator."

Chambers Europe

TMT: IT & IT Outsourcing (2026 Edition)

Ranked

Chambers Europe

TMT: IT & IT Outsourcing (2026 Edition)

Leading Partner

Legal 500

Industry focus: Information Technology (2026 Edition)

Recommended

Legal 500

Data Privacy and Data Protection (2026 Edition)

Recommended

Legal 500

Industry focus: Telecoms (2026 Edition)

Recommended

Legal 500

Intellectual Property: Patents (2026 Edition)

Recommended

Legal 500

Intellectual Property: Trade marks, Copyrights and Design rights (2026 Edition)

Publications

Show all

2 January 2025

DORA: recente ontwikkelingen. VAST. (in Dutch)

25 April 2024

FOCUS ON AI: DNB and AFM Report: the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the financial sector and supervision. VAST. (in Dutch)

8 March 2024

DORA: Impact and points of attention. VAST. (in Dutch)

View all publications

Services

Insights

About us

Thomas de Weerd

Expertises

Contact

On this page

Recent Work

Qualifications

Additional positions

Languages

Expertise

Intellectual Property

IT

Privacy & Data Protection

Automotive

Financial Services

Retail & Consumer Goods

FinTech

Technology

Domainnames

Software Deals

"Thomas de Weerd works easily on detailed legal texts and keeps an oversight on complex projects. He is an excellent communicator."

Chambers Europe

Ranked

Chambers Europe

Leading Partner

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Publications

DORA: recente ontwikkelingen. VAST. (in Dutch)

FOCUS ON AI: DNB and AFM Report: the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the financial sector and supervision. VAST. (in Dutch)

DORA: Impact and points of attention. VAST. (in Dutch)

Thomas de Weerd

Expertises

Contact

On this page

Recent Work

Qualifications

Additional positions

Languages

Expertise

Intellectual Property

IT

Privacy & Data Protection

Automotive

Financial Services

Retail & Consumer Goods

FinTech

Technology

Domainnames

Software Deals

"Thomas de Weerd works easily on detailed legal texts and keeps an oversight on complex projects. He is an excellent communicator."

Chambers Europe

Ranked

Chambers Europe

Leading Partner

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Recommended

Legal 500

Publications

DORA: recente ontwikkelingen. VAST. (in Dutch)

FOCUS ON AI: DNB and AFM Report: the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the financial sector and supervision. VAST. (in Dutch)

DORA: Impact and points of attention. VAST. (in Dutch)

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AI Act: transparency obligations and the AI Omnibus Regulation

Dutch Cybersecurity Act enters into force 15 August

Houthoff receives four rankings in IP STARS 2026