Legal Glossary

NDA

A non-disclosure agreement between parties regarding confidential information.

NIS-richtlijn

NIS Directive

The European directive on the security of network and information systems.

NV

NV (public limited company)

The public limited company, a legal entity with capital divided into shares.

Naamloze vennootschap

Public limited company

A naamloze vennootschap (N.V.) is a Dutch corporate form in which the share capital is divided into freely transferable shares and the shareholders have limited liability.

Naamrecht

Law of names

The legal field governing the acquisition and change of first and last names.

Naamswijziging

Name change

The formal change of a person's first or last name.

Nabestaandenschade

Survivors' damages

The damage suffered by surviving relatives as a result of the death of a loved one.

Nabootsing

Imitation

The copying or replication of another's product or work.

Naburig recht

Neighbouring right

Neighbouring rights concern the rights of performers, phonogram producers and broadcasting organisations that exist alongside copyright.

Nacalculatie

Post-calculation

The retrospective calculation of the actual costs of a project or assignment.

Nadeelcompensatie

Detriment compensation

Compensation for damage resulting from lawful government action.

Nader te noemen meester

the Master to be named hereinafter

A term in Dutch law indicating that the identity of the principal (master) will be disclosed at a later time.

Nakoming

Performance

Performance is the carrying out of an obligation by the debtor, whereby the agreed performance is rendered to the creditor.

Nalatenschap

Estate

The totality of assets and debts left behind by a deceased person.

Nalatenschapsschuld

Estate debt

A debt belonging to the estate of a deceased person.

Namaak

Counterfeiting

The manufacture or trade of counterfeit products that infringe intellectual property rights.

Namelding

Supplementary report

A supplementary report following an earlier notification or declaration.

Nationale rechter EU

National court EU

The court of an EU member state that applies and enforces European law.

Natrekking

Accession

Accession is a mode of acquiring ownership whereby the owner of a thing automatically becomes the owner of anything added to it or produced from it.

Natuurlijk persoon

Natural person

A natural person is an individual with legal personality. This is in contrast to a legal person, such as a company.

Natuurlijke verbintenis

Natural obligation

A natural obligation is a moral or conscientious obligation that cannot be enforced by law.

Naverrekening

Subsequent settlement

The retrospective settlement of costs or revenues between parties.

Navordering

Additional assessment

An assessment by the Tax Authority to correct a previously imposed assessment.

Ne bis in idem

Not twice in the same matter.

Ne bis in idem is the legal principle that prohibits a person from being prosecuted or punished twice for the same offence.

Nebula arrest

Nebula judgment

The Nebula judgment is a 1988 decision of the Supreme Court concerning the liability of a parent company for environmental damage caused by its subsidiary.

Negatieve boedel

Negative estate

A negative estate is an estate in which the debts exceed the value of the assets.

Negatieve verklaring

Negative declaration

A judicial declaration that a certain right or legal relationship does not exist.

Nekhernia

Cervical hernia

A protrusion of an intervertebral disc in the neck that may cause nerve compression.

Nekklachten

Neck complaints

Pain complaints in the neck area that often occur after an accident.

Nemo plus

No one can transfer more rights than he himself has.

The legal principle that no one can transfer more rights than he himself possesses.

Neurologisch onderzoek

Neurological examination

A medical examination of the nervous system to determine injury or conditions.

Neuropsychologie

Neuropsychology

The science studying the relationship between brain functions and behavior.

Neutraliteitsbeginsel

Principle of neutrality

The principle that the government maintains neutrality towards citizens and their convictions.

Nevenvordering

Ancillary claim

A claim filed alongside the main claim.

Nevenwerkzaamheden

Secondary activities

Activities performed by an employee alongside their main job.

Niet-nakoming

Non-performance

The failure to perform or properly perform an obligation.

Niet-ontvankelijk

Inadmissible

Inadmissibility is a judicial ruling whereby a claim, request or appeal is not considered on the merits owing to the absence of procedural requirements.

Niet-ontvankelijkheid

Inadmissibility

The declaration that a claim or request cannot be substantively considered.

Nietig

Null

Null means that a legal act or agreement produces no legal effects from the moment of its conclusion and is deemed never to have existed.

Nietigheid

Nullity

The sanction by which a legal act has no legal effect by operation of law.

Nieuw feit

New fact

A fact that becomes known only after an assessment or judgment is issued.

Nieuwheid

Novelty

The requirement that an invention or design is new compared to the state of the art.

Nieuwwaarde

Replacement value

The value of an item in new condition, as basis for insurance payout.

Nihil obstat

Nothing stands in the way.

Nihil obstat is a Latin term meaning “nothing stands in the way” and denotes a formal declaration that no objections exist to a given act or publication.

Nihilbeding

Nihil clause

A clause excluding liability or the obligation to compensate damages.

No creditor worse off

The principle that no creditor may be worse off under a restructuring agreement than in the event of bankruptcy.

Nominale waarde

Nominal value

The nominal value is the value of a share or security as determined in the articles of association, which serves as the basis for the share capital without regard to current market value.

Non liquet

It is not clear.

Non liquet is a Latin term denoting that a court cannot adjudicate a dispute because the law is unclear or no applicable legal rule exists.

Non-concurrentiebeding

Non-competition clause

A clause prohibiting an employee from performing competing activities after employment ends.

Non-conformiteit

Non-conformity

Non-conformity means that a delivered good or service does not meet the requirements of the agreement or the buyer's reasonable expectations.

Non-disclosure

The obligation not to disclose confidential information.

Non-discriminatie

Non-discrimination

The prohibition of unequal treatment based on protected characteristics.

Non-existent besluit

Non-existent decision

A non-existent decision is a decision that does not exist in law on account of serious, fundamental defects.

Noodweer

Self-defense

Defending one's own or another's person, honor, or property against an immediate unlawful attack.

Normschending

Norm violation

The violation of a legal or social norm.

Notarieel depot

Notarial deposit

The deposit of documents or goods with a notary.

Notaris

Notary

A public official authorized to draw up authentic deeds.

Novatie

Novation

The replacement of an existing obligation by a new obligation.

Novatio

Novation

Novation is the substitution of an existing obligation by a new obligation, thereby extinguishing the former.

Novelty

The novelty criterion in intellectual property law.

Nul-urencontract

Zero-hours contract

An employment contract without fixed working hours.

Nulla poena sine lege

No penalty without law.

Nulla poena sine lege is the fundamental legal principle that no one may be punished for an act that was not defined by law as a criminal offence at the time of its commission.

Nullum crimen sine lege

No crime without law.

Nullum crimen sine lege is the principle of legality in criminal law, which provides that no offence exists without a prior statutory provision.

Nulurencontract

Zero-hours contract

Employment contract without a fixed number of hours, under which the employee is only called up and paid for hours actually worked.

Nutsvoorzieningen

Utilities

Basic provisions such as water, gas, electricity, and sewerage.

Nutsvoorzieningen huur

Utilities in rental

The arrangement of utility costs in rental agreements.