Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last update: 25 May 2018

IP Europe understands that privacy is important and that users care about how your personal data is used. We respect and value the privacy of everyone who visits our website and will only collect and use personal data in ways that are described here, and in a way that is consistent with our obligations and your rights under the law.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully and ensure that you understand it. Your acceptance of this Privacy Policy is deemed to occur upon your first use of our Site and you will be required to read and accept this Privacy Policy when signing up to receive our mailings. If you do not accept and agree with this Privacy Policy, you must stop using our Site immediately.

Definitions and Interpretation

In this Policy the following terms shall have the following meanings:

“Account” means an account required to access and/or use certain areas and features of our Site;

“Cookie” means a small text file placed on your computer or device by our Site when you visit certain parts of our Site and/or when you use certain features of our Site. Details of the Cookies used by our Site are set out in Part 14, below; and

“Cookie Law” means the relevant parts of the Directive 2002/58/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 July 2002 concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communications sector (Directive on privacy and electronic communications), amended with Directive 2009/136/EC.

Information who we are

Our Site is owned and operated by IP Europe VZW, a non-profit association registered in Belgium.

Address: Rijvisschestraat 124, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium

Email address: secretariat[at]ipeurope.org

Telephone number: +32 9 248 14 50

What does this Policy cover?

This Privacy Policy applies only to your use of our Site. Our Site may contain links to other websites. Please note that we have no control over how your data is collected, stored, or used by other websites and we advise you to check the privacy policies of any such websites before providing any data to them.

What is Personal Data?

Personal data is defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU Regulation 2016/679) (the “GDPR”) as ‘any information relating to an identifiable person who can be directly or indirectly identified in particular by reference to an identifier’.

Personal data is, in simpler terms, any information about you that enables you to be identified. Personal data covers obvious information such as your name and contact details, but it also covers less obvious information such as identification numbers, electronic location data, and other online identifiers.

What are your rights?

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights, which we will always work to uphold:

The right to be informed about our collection and use of your personal data. This Privacy Policy should tell you everything you need to know, but you can always contact us to find out more or to ask any questions using the details below.
The right to access the personal data we hold about you. Below you can find out how to do this.
The right to have your personal data rectified if any of your personal data held by us is inaccurate or incomplete. Please contact us using the details below to find out more.
The right to be forgotten, i.e. the right to ask us to delete or otherwise dispose of any of your personal data that we have. Please contact us using the details below to find out more.
The right to restrict (i.e. prevent) the processing of your personal data.
The right to object to us using your personal data for a particular purpose or purposes.
The right to data portability. This means that, if you have provided personal data to us directly, we are using it with your consent or for the performance of a contract, and that data is processed using automated means, you can ask us for a copy of that personal data to re-use with another service or business in many cases.
Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling. We do not use your personal data in this way.

For more information about our use of your personal data or exercising your rights as outlined above, please contact us using the details provided in this policy.

Further information about your rights can also be obtained from the Belgium Data Protection Authority (www.dataprotectionauthority.be).

If you have any cause for complaint about our use of your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Belgium Data Protection Authority.

What data do we collect?

Depending upon your use of our Site, we may collect some or all of the following personal [and non-personal] data (please also see Part on how we use cookies and similar technologies or our Cookie Policy)

Membership Registration. We collect Personal Data from representatives of members of IP EUROPE (“Members”) when they register to join IP Europe, such as name, email address, business address, job title, phone number, user name, and password. We use this information to provide Members with access to the IP Europe activities.
Activities and events. We may also use your name, email address, business address, job title and phone number to contact you about IP Europe’s activities, programs and events and to organise such activities, programs and events.
Contact us. You may provide us with Personal Data when you communicate with us via the Site.

How do we use Personal Data?

Under the GDPR, we must always have a lawful basis for using personal data. This may be because the data is necessary for our performance of a contract with you, because you have consented to our use of your personal data, or because it is in our legitimate business interests to use it. Your personal data will be used for the following purposes:

We do not sell or otherwise disclose Personal Data we collect about you, except as described in this Privacy Policy or as we disclose to you at the time the Personal Data is collected.

We may disclose your Personal Data in the following circumstances:

We may share your Personal Data within IP Europe, to which it is reasonably necessary or desirable for us to disclose your Personal Data in order to carry out the above-mentioned purposes.
We may share your Personal Data with third party service providers who provide services on our behalf. These third parties may have access to or process your Personal Data as part of providing services to us
Your registration information as a Member may be disclosed to other Members in the context of IP Europe’s activities and events (e.g., during a conference or a meeting).
We may preserve and disclose your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with applicable laws, in response to a court order, judicial or other government subpoena, warrant or request, or to otherwise cooperate with law enforcement or other governmental agencies.
We also reserve the right to preserve and disclose your Personal Data that we believe, in good faith, is appropriate or necessary to (i) take precautions against liability, (ii) protect ourselves or others from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful uses or activity, (iii) investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations, (iv) protect the security or integrity of the Site and any facilities or equipment used to make the Site available, or (v) protect our property or other legal rights (including, but not limited to, enforcement of our agreements), or the rights, property, or safety of others.
If you consent to our disclosure of information to a third party, such as business partners, or as otherwise authorised under applicable law.
Your Personal Data may be disclosed and otherwise communicated to an acquirer, successor, or assignee as part of any merger, acquisition, debt financing, sale of assets, or similar transaction, or in the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership in which Personal Data is transferred to one or more third parties as one of our business assets.

In addition, we may collect, use and share anonymous data such as statistical information about the use of the Site.

Links to other websites

The Site contains links to third-party websites which are not managed by IP Europe. Any Personal Data you provide on third-party websites is subject to those third-parties’ privacy policies. We are not responsible for the practices and policies of such third-party websites.

Information security

We use organisational and technical security measures that are designed to protect your Personal Data against accidental or unlawful destruction or accidental loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access, or any other unlawful form of processing.

How long we keep Personal Data?

We will not keep your personal data for any longer than is necessary in light of the reason(s) for which it was first collected. Your personal data will therefore be kept as long as you do not opt out of using our services and/or our Site.

How and where do we store or transfer Personal Data?

We will only store or transfer your personal data within the European Economic Area (the “EEA”). The EEA consists of all EU member states, plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. This means that your personal data will be fully protected under the GDPR or to equivalent standards by law.

What data do we collect?

Membership Registration. We collect Personal Data from representatives of members of IP Europe (“Members”) when they register to join IP Europe, such as name, email address, business address, job title, phone number, user name, and password. We use this information to provide Members with access to the IP Europe activities.
Activities and events. We may also use your name, email address, business address, job title and phone number to contact you about IP Europe’s activities, programs and events and to organise such activities, programs and events.
Contact us. You may provide us with Personal Data when you communicate with us via the Site.

How do we use Personal Data?

We do not sell or otherwise disclose Personal Data we collect about you, except as described in this Privacy Policy or as we disclose to you at the time the Personal Data is collected.

We may disclose your Personal Data in the following circumstances:

We may share your Personal Data within IP Europe, to which it is reasonably necessary or desirable for us to disclose your Personal Data in order to carry out the above-mentioned purposes.
We may share your Personal Data with third party service providers who provide services on our behalf. These third parties may have access to or process your Personal Data as part of providing services to us
Your registration information as a Member may be disclosed to other Members in the context of IP Europe’s activities and events (e.g., during a conference or a meeting).
We may preserve and disclose your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with applicable laws, in response to a court order, judicial or other government subpoena, warrant or request, or to otherwise cooperate with law enforcement or other governmental agencies.
We also reserve the right to preserve and disclose your Personal Data that we believe, in good faith, is appropriate or necessary to (i) take precautions against liability, (ii) protect ourselves or others from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful uses or activity, (iii) investigate and defend ourselves against any third-party claims or allegations, (iv) protect the security or integrity of the Site and any facilities or equipment used to make the Site available, or (v) protect our property or other legal rights (including, but not limited to, enforcement of our agreements), or the rights, property, or safety of others.
If you consent to our disclosure of information to a third party, such as business partners, or as otherwise authorised under applicable law.
Your Personal Data may be disclosed and otherwise communicated to an acquirer, successor, or assignee as part of any merger, acquisition, debt financing, sale of assets, or similar transaction, or in the event of an insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership in which Personal Data is transferred to one or more third parties as one of our business assets.

In addition, we may collect, use and share anonymous data such as statistical information about the use of the Site.

Links to other websites

Information security

How can you control your Personal Data?

In addition to your rights under the GDPR, when you submit personal data via our Site, you may be given options to restrict our use of your personal data. In particular, we aim to give you strong controls on our use of your data for direct marketing purposes (including the ability to opt-out of receiving emails from us which you may do by unsubscribing using the links provided in our emails and at the point of providing your details.

Can you withhold information?

You may access our Site without providing any personal data at all. However, to use all features and functions available on our Site you may be required to submit or allow for the collection of certain data.

You may restrict our use of Cookies. For more information, see below and our Cookie Policy.

How can you access your Personal Data?

If you want to know what personal data we have about you, you can ask us for details of that personal data and for a copy of it (where any such personal data is held). This is known as a “subject access request”.

All subject access requests should be made in writing and sent to the email or addresses provided in contact details.

There is not normally any charge for a subject access request. If your request is ‘manifestly unfounded or excessive’ (for example, if you make repetitive requests) a fee may be charged to cover our administrative costs in responding.

We will respond to your subject access request within as soon as possible and, in any case, not more than one month of receiving it. Normally, we aim to provide a complete response, including a copy of your personal data within that time. In some cases, however, particularly if your request is more complex, more time may be required up to a maximum of three months from the date we receive your request. You will be kept fully informed of our progress.

How Do You Use Cookies?

Our Site may place and access certain first-party Cookies on your computer or device. First-party Cookies are those placed directly by us and are used only by us. We use Cookies to facilitate and improve your experience of our Site and to provide and improve our services. We have carefully chosen these Cookies and have taken steps to ensure that your privacy and personal data is protected and respected at all times.

All Cookies used by and on our website are used in accordance with current Cookie Law.

Before Cookies are placed on your computer or device, you will be shown a pop-up requesting your consent to set those Cookies. By giving your consent to the placing of Cookies you are enabling us to provide the best possible experience and service to you. You may, if you wish, deny consent to the placing of Cookies; however certain features of our Site may not function fully or as intended.

[Certain features of our Site depend on Cookies to function. Cookie Law deems these Cookies to be “strictly necessary”. Your consent will not be sought to place these Cookies, but it is still important that you are aware of them. You may still block these Cookies by changing your internet browser’s settings as detailed below, but please be aware that our Site may not work properly if you do so. We have taken great care to ensure that your privacy is not at risk by allowing them.]

Our Site uses analytics services provided by Google. Website analytics refers to a set of tools used to collect and analyse anonymous usage information, enabling us to better understand how our Site is used. This, in turn, enables us to improve our Site and the services offered through it.

The analytics service used by our Site uses Cookies to gather the required information. You do not have to allow us to use these Cookies, however whilst our use of them does not pose any risk to your privacy or your safe use of our Site, it does enable us to continually improve our Site, making it a better and more useful experience for you.

In addition to the controls that we provide, you can choose to enable or disable Cookies in your internet browser. Most internet browsers also enable you to choose whether you wish to disable all Cookies or only third-party Cookies. By default, most internet browsers accept Cookies, but this can be changed. For further details, please consult the help menu in your internet browser or the documentation that came with your device.

You can choose to delete Cookies on your computer or device at any time, however you may lose any information that enables you to access Our Site more quickly and efficiently including, but not limited to, login and personalisation settings.

It is recommended that you keep your internet browser and operating system up-to-date and that you consult the help and guidance provided by the developer of your internet browser and manufacturer of your computer or device if you are unsure about adjusting your privacy settings.

How to contact us?

To contact us about anything to do with your personal data and data protection, including to make a subject access request, please use the following contact details:

Email address: secretariat[at]ipeurope.org

Telephone number: +32 9 248 14 50

Address: Rijvisschestraat 124, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium

Privacy Policy changes

We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. This may be necessary, for example, if the law changes, or if we change our business in a way that affects personal data protection.

Any changes will be immediately posted on our Site and you will be deemed to have accepted the terms of the Privacy Policy on your first use of our Site following the alterations. We recommend that you check this page regularly to keep up-to-date.

Cookies Policy

Last updated: 25 May 2018

IP Europe uses cookies and a variety of similar technologies on its website. In addition to cookies, such technologies include Local Shared Objects (i.e., Flash Cookies) and web beacons (i.e., single pixel GIFs, clear GIFs, or web bugs). We refer to these technologies collectively as “cookies”.

What is a Cookie?

A cookie is a small data file that may be stored on the hard drive of your computer or device in your browser’s file directory when you access our website. When you visit one of our websites, cookies may be set by us (first party cookies) or by other companies (third party cookies) such as cookies from Google Analytics, Typekit, Disqus, and Addthis. When you return to one of our websites, or when you access other web pages within one of our websites, your web browser will send the information stored in the cookie to us or to the third party that set the cookie. For more information explaining cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

How are Cookies used?

Cookies are used on websites for a variety of purposes:

Basic Functions. Some of our websites use cookies that are strictly necessary in order to provide a function of the website such as to keep you logged-in where registration is required or to provide a shopping cart. These cookies may be set by us, or by third parties, such as a “Like” button by Facebook or a “Tweet” button by Twitter.
Site Improvement. Some of our websites use cookies to better understand how visitors are using our websites to improve the information and functionality of our websites. These cookies help us learn, for example, if some webpages are not being frequently visited or if visitors are having difficulties navigating our websites. These cookies may be set by us, or by third-party companies such as Google.
Some of our websites use cookies to personalize the content that is displayed on our site, or to remember you when you return to our site. For example, we may use a blog tool Disqus.
Third party advertising companies may have our permission to serve ads on our behalf across the Internet or to display ads for other companies on our site. These third-party advertising companies use cookies to measure and improve the effectiveness of their advertising. To do so, these companies may use generic information about your visits to our sites and other websites for online preference marketing purposes, in order to provide ads about goods and services of specific interest to you.

How long are Cookies stored?

We set cookies to expire after they have fulfilled their purpose. Our websites use cookies that expire when you close your browser (i.e., session cookies) or that expire after a set period of time (i.e., so-called “persistent cookies”). Cookies that are stored by third parties will have their expiration period determined by the third party, not us.

Your choices

You decide whether cookies are stored on your computer or device and can choose to delete them. By accepting cookies that are stored on your computer when you visit our site, we infer that you have accepted the use of cookies as explained in this Cookie Policy.

You can manage cookies in one or more ways:

Browser Setting. Your browser likely supports a variety of settings to control the cookies that are set on your computer or device and to delete cookies. These settings are typically found under the “Tools”, “Settings”, or “Options” menus. You can also check the “help” menu of your browser to learn how to change the cookie preferences through your browser settings. Note that you will need to manage the settings for each browser you use and on each device you use. Further information from several popular browsers can be found at the following sites:
Online Tools. Some third parties allow you to manage cookies through online tools such as: Network Advertising Initiative, Digital Advertising Alliance, Your Online Choices, and Adobe Flash.
Browser Extensions. Some third parties have created software can be added to your web browser to manage their or third party cookies such as: Google Analytics, Ghosteryby Evidon, Inc.

Please note that while you are free to decline cookies, you may not be able to use certain features on this site or take full advantage of all of our offerings if you decline cookies. Our reference to any third party or their software or services is not an endorsement by us of such third party or their products and services and we disclaim any liability for the use or operation of any third-party software or services.

Changes

We reserve the right to change this Cookie Policy from time to time and in our sole discretion. We reserve the right to change, modify, add or remove portions of this Cookie Policy at any time, but will alert you that changes have been made by indicating on the Cookie Policy the date it was last updated. When you visit the site, you are accepting the current version of this Cookie Policy as posted on the site at that time. We recommend that users revisit this Cookie Policy on occasion to learn of any changes.

Further Information

Please feel free to contact us at secretariat[at]ipeurope.org with any comments, questions, complaints or suggestions you might have regarding the information practices described in this statement.