Rate My Professor Eric Tjong Tjin Tai

Eric Tjong Tjin Tai, prof. dr. LLM MSc, is Full Professor of Private Law at Tilburg Law School, Tilburg University, a position he has held since 2010. He currently serves as Vice Head of the Department of Private, Business and Labour Law. His professional path is distinctive, beginning with a degree in Computer Science engineering from Delft University of Technology followed by several years in IT business. He then studied philosophy and law at the University of Amsterdam, earning LLM and MSc degrees. From 1998 to 2007, he practiced as an advocate at Pels Rijcken & Droogleever Fortuijn, specializing in Supreme Court litigation and intellectual property/IT law, while regularly publishing legal research articles. In 2007, he defended his PhD thesis "Duties of Care and Ethics of Care" (Zorgplichten en zorgethiek) at the University of Amsterdam and joined Tilburg Law School as a senior lecturer until 2009.

Professor Tjong Tjin Tai's expertise covers private law, law of civil procedure, and IT law. His ongoing research centers on the legal dimensions of data and digital developments, particularly smart contracts and blockchain/distributed ledger technology, the potential of property rights for data files, liability for algorithms, private law aspects of online platforms, multi-party contracts, and networks. These themes explore the dematerialization of society and power relations in immaterial spheres. He delivers courses including Tort Law, Civil Procedure and Dispute Resolution, and Advanced Private Law, and frequently speaks on platforms, algorithmic liability, data in private law, and related topics. With a substantial output of 102 articles, 79 case notes, 37 book chapters, 14 books, and more, standout publications include "Tort Law: A Comparative Introduction" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022), the second edition of "De schadestaatprocedure" (2024), edited "Digitale nalatenschap: KNB Preadviezen 2025" (Sdu juridisch, 2025, with L. Verstappen), "Databestanden in de nalatenschap" (WPNR 7490, 2025), and "Digital Technology and Procedural Justice: Towards a Geography of Justice" (Tilburg Law Review 30(2), 2025, with E.A. Onţanu). His work supports UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.