Ralph Nack

Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer)
Partner
Practice Group: Intellectual Property
Practice Group: Healthcare

Ralph Nack is an expert on complex issues of patent law. He advises German and international clients primarily in patent litigation and in nullity and opposition proceedings. He is a leading international expert in patent licensing, especially regarding standard-essential patents (SEP FRAND licensing). His practice focuses on the areas of electronics, telecommunications, mechanical engineering and pharmaceuticals.

Expertise

  • German and international patent litigation
  • Licensing agreements, SEP FRAND licensing
  • Freedom to operate (FTO)
  • Technology transactions
  • IP-based financing solutions, securitisation
  • R&D agreements
  • Employees' invention law
  • Patent strategy
  • Supplementary potection certificates (SPCs)
  • Regulatory pharma law
  • Chinese patent law

Career

  • Legal studies at the University of Heidelberg, University of Munich, Todai University Tokyo (Japan) and the University ofWashington DC (USA)
  • Research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property
  • Program Director of the Munich Intellectual Property Law Centre
  • Practice with an international law firm focussing on patent law in Munich; secondment to the firm's Beijing office
  • At Noerr since 2010
  • Admitted to the Munich Bar Association

Selected Projects

  • Market leader in ultrasonic welding: Advising the companya market leader in ultrasonic welding on patent enforcement in China (2017-2018)
  • Patent holder: Advising on licensing and enforcement of various patents related to cloud-based internet solutions (2017-2018)
  • Leading drug manufacturer: Representing the client in preliminary injunction proceedings re-lating to a supplementary protection certificate for an HIV drug (2017-2018)
  • Leading hifi equipment manufacturer: Representing the company in various patent infringe-ment proceedings relating to standard essential patents (2017-2018)
  • MP3 licensor: Advising the market leader in MP3 technology licensing in a global patent li-censing dispute (2017-date)

Memberships

  • Global board of directors of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
  • Standing Committee on Patent Law of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR)
  • Licensing Executives Society (LES)
  • Federal Circuit Bar Association (FCBA)
  • Board Member of patentdecisions.de
  • Observer at the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA)
  • Board of trustees at Munich Intellectual Property Law Centre (MIPLC)

Selected Publications

  • Patent Law Handbook, § 2 (Patentability), ed. by Haedicke/Timmann
  • The invention requirement - a legislative flaw? GRUR 2014, 148
  • Data exclusivity for pharmaceutical products - an unrecognized intellectual property right? GRUR Int. 2018, 1152