Sebastian Wündisch, LLM
Rechtsanwalt (Lawyer), Partner
Sebastian is an internationally recognised lawyer in intellectual property, technology transfer and licensing. A special focus is the structuring of complex R&D collaborations, R&D joint ventures and R&D contracts. He also has in-depth experience in dealing with IP and licences in restructuring and insolvency scenarios. His clients include technology-driven companies, including global players, Dax40 companies, medium-sized companies and start-ups, insolvency administrators as well as universities and research organisations, which he advises outside of litigation and represents in arbitration and court proceedings. Sebastian holds adjunct professorships at both Dresden University of Technology and University of Leipzig and is author of numerous publications. He is considered "one of the most renowned experts in technology transfer law".
Projects
- DAX Company in institutionalized R&D cooperation with University of Excellence
- Insolvency Administrator in court proceedings on trade secret infringement
- Global Pharma Company in court proceedings on royalty claims
- DAX Company in complex R&D cooperation on disruptive technology development
- International Family Office on investment in TUM BioTec Start-up and IP Transfer
- University of Excellence in readjustment of Technology Transfer Strategy
- Compleo on the asset acquisition by Kostal out of insolvency - IP issues
- Laureus Capital in Series B financing of biotech company Ethris
- Cellex Group on cell therapy joint venture with Intellia and Blackstone (investment of USD 250 million)
- Research organisation on compliance and defence against millions of euros in recoveries from R&D contract
- Global Food Company: Expert Opinion in U.S. IP Litigation before the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- Global Pharma Company in patent infringement litigation (Hatch Waxman Act) before the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in pre-trial proceedings and trial on licensing issues
- U.S. Biotech Company on licenses in bankruptcy under German law
- Swedish Pharma Company in an international arbitration under SCC Rules on a global license
- KATHREIN in sale of core business and IP to Ericsson
- DAX Company in court proceeding on royalty claims arising from a R&D agreement
- Copyright advice for a 400 million real estate project in Munich city center location
- State Ministry on introduction BOS digital radio
- Insolvency administrator of Qimonda AG on the exploitation of 16,000 patents, licensing issues and related court proceedings
Distinctions
- "... is considered one of the most renowned experts in technology transfer law" (Wirtschaftswoche)
- "A complete professional ... one of the few who advise on the challenging interface between insolvency and IP law." (restruct.law)
- Best Lawyer (Handelsblatt) for Intellectual Property (2012-2025)
- Best Lawyer (Handelsblatt) for Technology Law (2020 – 2025)
- IAM 300 Global Leader IP Strategy (2024 - 2025) and IAM 1000 Patent Law (2023 - 2024)
- "He does great work at the intersection of IP law and anti-trust regulation." (IAM 2025)
- “... highly experienced in drafting and negotiating complex licence and R&D collaboration agreements. He does great work at the intersection of IP law and anti-trust regulation." (IAM 2025)
- “... the grand master of R&D agreements.” (IAM 2024)
- "... has a skilled eye for navigating IP-rich transactions." (IAM 2023)
Career
University of Passau, Dresden TU Dresden and University of Exeter (UK)
Research Fellow at the Chair of Civil Law and Intellectual Property Law at the TU Dresden
Ph.D. at University of Leipzig
Experience abroad: secondment at law firm in New York (USA)
At Noerr since 2002
Admitted to the Dresden Chamber of Lawyers
Memberships
- Honorary Professor for IP and licensing law at the University of Leipzig (2019)
- Honorary Professor for IP and technology transfer at TU Dresden (2012)
- German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR), Chairman of the Central-East Regional Group, Member of the GRUR Board of Directors and the competition law commitee
- Licensing Executive Society - Patent Licensing Committee
- TransferAllianz - German Association for Knowledge and Technology Transfer
- Co-Chair of the Standing Committee for R&D Contracts at the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Energy
Lectures
- Teaching assignments at TU Dresden, of Leipzig, TU Berlin and Fordham Law School, New York
- Licensing Executive Society Module VII International Licensing
- Regular lectures on intellectual property, technology transfer and research promotion issues
- R&D Agreements, subsidies for R&D projects
- IP and licenses in insolvency situations
- Technology transfer for start-ups, investments of universities in spin-offs
- AI-based spin-offs
Publications
- Public R&D Funding Revisited, Bulletin of the German Patent Attorneys 2025, 481
- Comment on BGH, I ZR 127/24 - Griffleiste, GRUR-Prax 2025, 640
- Insolvency-proof licenses through EU directive? GRUR-Prax 2025, 485
- Conflicts between Patent and Contract Law, GRUR Patent 2025, 220
- R&D Contracts (with Markus Zirkel), 4rd edition 2024
- Have Made - Is there a need to readjust have made rights? GRUR Patent 2024, 476
- FRAND without SEP - Is the FRAND-Declaration followed by the IPCEI -Commitment? GRUR Patent 2024, 190
- Material Transfer Agreements in the Focus of European State Aid Law?, Pharma Law 2023, 73
- Comment on BGH, X ZR 123/20 - CQI report II, GRUR-Prax 2023, 163
- Comment on BGH, IX ZR 213/21 - Termination upon insolvency, GRUR-Prax 2023, 115
- Copyright Licensing (with Christian Berger), 3rd edition 2022
- Exclusive licenses in software development contracts - valid under competition aw?, CR 2021, 641
- NDA and Trade Secrets in insolvency (with Jette Nordemann), ZdiW 2021, 403
- Preliminary injunctions in patent law and Art. 50 TRIPS (with C. Gaul), GRUR-Prax 2021, 446
- Employee Invention Law (with Theresa Arand), Götting/Meyer/Vormbrock, IP Practice Manual, 2nd edition 2020.
- Employee-Inventors Compensation in Germany – Burden or Incentive, les Nouvelles, June 2017
- Know-how-Protection, Götting/Kaiser, Wettbewerbsrecht, 2016
- R&D State Aid Law, Birnstiel/Bungenberg/Heinrich, European State Aid Law, 2013
- Short selling - not just an issue for financial markets, GRUR 2012, 1003
- Licenses in insolvency – a neverending story? (with Christian Pleister), NZI 2012, 1792
- Acquisition and Licensing of Research Results under the Bayh-Dole Act (with Axel Hoffmann), GRUR Int. 2011, 789.
- Patent-Cross-Licenses – Terra Incognita? (with Stephan Bauer), GRUR Int. 2010, 641
- Ad fontes - the country of protection principle, in: Götting/Schlüter, jubilee publication Dieter Stauder, 2010
- The "Haftetikett"-ruling of the BGH - Overprotection of the Employee Inventor?,jubilee publication IP-LL.M. Program, 2010
- Back Licenses in R&D Contracts (with Sandra Hering), GRUR Int. 2009, 106
- Poisoned money? IP-related conditions in publicly funded R&D projects, BB 2009, 679
- Richard Wagner and Copyright Law, NJW 2007, 653
- Open Source Development Communities, Meißner/Engelien, Virtual Organisation, 2005
- Comment on U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, GRUR Int. 2002, 364 – E-Book
- Non-competition clauses in the publishing agreement, 2002
- The ECJ and TRIPS: Hermès, Dior and the Consequences (with Thomas Groh), GRUR Int. 2001, 497
- Comment on OLG Dresden, ZUM 2000, 959 - Csàrdàsfürstin
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