Charissa Koster

Lawyer

Charissa advises and litigates in the fields of media law, intellectual property, IT and AI law, privacy, e-commerce and corporate law. Press-related and journalistic matters, copyright, freedom of expression versus privacy and cross-border issues often play a central role in her work.

Charissa has been a lawyer for more than 25 years. She combines legal acumen, technical knowledge of IT and the internet, and a keen eye for revenue models and the direction of a business. That makes her a lawyer who looks beyond the legal question at hand.

As a lawyer, Charissa is involved and pragmatic. She acts quickly, presses ahead and does not shy away from litigation when the interests of the case require it. She knows how to handle both the media and the route to court. Her clients know they can fall back on her when it really matters.

She works for media companies and media personalities, film and TV producers, advertising producers, publishers, tech and gaming businesses, artists, athletes and creative entrepreneurs, from debutant and start-up to multinational. Trading parties and product developers also find their way to her, as do professional service providers.

What these clients usually have in common is that their work, brand or reputation represents value that must be protected, exploited and monetised. Quite apart from the further legal questions that arise and deserve a solution.

She always looks for the best outcome for the client, whether that is a start-up, a debutant or a multinational.

Charissa has extensive experience with the protection of design, products, brands and content, with cross-media projects and with adaptations of books into films, TV series, games and theatre productions. Alongside her work as a lawyer she acts as reputation manager, international sales agent and editor-in-chief for broadcasters, producers, newspapers, publishers, artists, athletes and authors. She knows the practice from both sides of the table, and that makes her advice concrete and market-focused.

How Charissa can help you

Media, privacy and reputation. Charissa advises and litigates on freedom of expression versus the right to privacy and honour and reputation, (un)lawful publications, portrait rights, GDPR and data breaches, advertising, sport and sponsorship. Gossip channel, tabloid or serious newspaper or broadcaster, it plays a role in all of them. She also assists clients with reputation management and with taking action against identity fraud and online image abuse.

Intellectual property. Copyright, neighbouring rights, trade mark law, trade name law, design law, databases and domain names. How do you protect what you make, and what do you do if someone else runs off with it?

AI. Artificial intelligence raises legal questions about copyright, authorship, liability, transparency (obligations) and the protection of personal data. But also about platform terms and usage rights. Charissa advises makers on the use of AI in the creation of new work, on deepfakes and on preventing infringements of the rights of others.

IT and tech. Charissa advises on complex IT contracts, software licences, SaaS and cloud agreements, outsourcing, escrow and source code, electronic contracting and security issues.

Gaming. Gaming law touches on copyright and licences, in-game purchases, terms of use, branding and marketing through games, and for example also the protection of minor players. But also on influencers and influencing. Charissa assists game and platform companies on all these topics.

E-commerce. Selling online through your own webshop or through platforms brings legal obligations. Charissa helps with drafting general terms and conditions, the rules for distance selling, the design of websites, consumer protection, transparency on price and delivery, payments and the processing of customer data. And, of course, also when that crosses borders.

Employment law and corporate law. Charissa has for many years also handled employment matters, which often relate to overall employment reviews and compliance issues (for a number of clients she keeps track of legislative developments, for example), disputes/dismissals, cross-border issues, but also reorganisations, transitions and transfers of undertakings. In addition, in collaboration with specialised colleagues, and particularly for regular clients, she also guides mergers and acquisitions, venture capital investments and the first steps of start-ups. She draws up cooperation and shareholders’ agreements, advises on joint ventures and corporate governance and assists clients in shareholder disputes.

Additional activities

Each year Charissa attends international book fairs and film festivals as a guest and speaker. She is a columnist and commentator in various media and a mentor to junior lawyers, including at Legal Women. Passing on knowledge and sharing her network and experience matter to her.

Charissa is a member of the Netherlands Bar and affiliated with the Association for Media and Communications Law, the Copyright Association, the Privacy Law Association and the Netherlands Association for Information Technology and Law. Between 2015 and 2019 she was nominated several times for the TheNextWomen100, the list of the hundred most successful entrepreneurial women in the Netherlands. In 2018, 2019 and 2020 the networking organisation TheNextWomen named her “Next Woman to Watch”. She was also nominated twice as Legal Woman of the Year (2014, 2015).

Background

Charissa read Dutch law at the University of Amsterdam (1998). She completed the postdoctoral Grotius programme in Information Technology Law with distinction (2008), the Employment Law specialisation at Leiden University (2003) and the Sport & Law programme at the Vrije Universiteit (2023). She has been a lawyer since 1999.

A selection of Charissa’s work over the past year:

Advising and litigating on media, press and reputation matters for established and emerging parties, including newspapers, magazines and broadcasters, but also public figures and politicians;
Concluding deals with streaming platforms, for the production of films/audiovisual productions intended for dozens of countries, including clearance, contracts for all cast and crew and policy follow-up;
Disputes about the content and publication of books, both on behalf of the publisher and on behalf of injured/interested parties who feature in books (free press and expression versus privacy interests);
Various disputes, letters of demand and litigation concerning modelling contracts, portrait rights and monetisable popularity, in the international modelling world;
Dismissal cases involving MeToo, stalking and/or other cases of misconduct, but also regular employment housekeeping, advising on a range of employment law issues;
AI advice in advertising, film and TV; what can and may be done, and what must be done, copyright and transparency obligations under the AI Act;
Several book-to-film adaptation contracts per year, from the Netherlands to Hollywood, for various Dutch book publishers and authors;
Guiding M&A transactions, collaborations and shareholder disputes in the media and tech sector;
Drafting and negotiating IT and software contracts, licences and outsourcing arrangements, but also supplier contracts and failed automation projects;
Assisting game and platform companies with IP, advising on terms and conditions, influencing and the protection of consumers and minors.