Ned E. Barlas concentrates his practice on heading up and supporting a variety of complex transactions where Intellectual Property (IP) is a driving force.

Practice & Background

Mr. Barlas’ practice is “technology agnostic,” handling matters across a wide range of industries and technologies, including software, hardware, semiconductor, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical instrumentation, nanotechnology, chemical processes, oil and gas production, process controls, consumer products, financial services, new-media content distribution, government contracts and university technology transfer.

Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Barlas served as senior vice president and general counsel of Axeda Systems Inc., a publicly held enterprise software company. Before that, Mr. Barlas was senior vice president and general counsel of Ravisent Technologies Inc., a publicly held provider of digital media software and hardware solutions to the personal computer and consumer electronics industries. Mr. Barlas was responsible for all aspects of the legal functions for Axeda and Ravisent, and provided strategic advice and counsel to senior management and the boards of directors. Before joining Ravisent, Mr. Barlas was in private practice, focusing on corporate and intellectual property transactional matters.

Mr. Barlas is active in the firm’s pro bono practice.

Mr. Barlas received his B.A. in economics from Swarthmore College in 1985 and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990, where he served on the editorial board of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and is designated as a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP).
Representative Matters

Mr. Barlas’ recent representations include:

structuring technology-sharing agreements on behalf of one of the world’s largest petroleum companies in connection with a multibillion-dollar, cross-border joint venture involving upstream oil and gas research and development
negotiating the technology transfer aspects of a cross-border acquisition of a silicon wafer fab among parties in Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States
representing a commercial communications satellite start-up company in connection with the licensing and technology transfer of its core technology from one of the world’s largest government defense contractors
structuring the sale of a division of an industry-leading software company to one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers
representing one of the world’s largest mobile device manufacturers in transactions with movie studios and wireless carriers for the distribution of video content via mobile devices
representing a leading automobile manufacturer in connection with an agreement for the development and deployment of an automotive telematics program
representing an industry-leading manufacturer of ink cartridges for commercial printers in connection with a license and manufacturing joint venture among Chinese, German and U.S. companies
representing an investment fund in connection with its acquisition of a royalty stream from a university under a pharmaceutical patent license for a treatment of urologic disorders
drafting and negotiating patent development and license agreements for various pharmaceutical products, including a novel drug for the treatment of endometriosis and a small molecule therapy to treat cancer and viral diseases
drafting and negotiating a software license agreement on behalf of a multinational conglomerate to one of Mexico’s largest mobile phone service providers
representing a multinational hedge fund in connection with its acquisition of a well-known consumer products company with a significant patent and trademark portfolio
structuring and negotiating numerous complex patent litigation settlement agreements on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants.

Community Involvement

Mr. Barlas is involved in community, civic and charitable activities that include being a:

adjunct faculty member, Villanova University School of Law, teaching contract drafting
trustee of Licensing Executives Society USA/Canada (LES)
international delegate of Licensing Executives Society International (LESI)
chair, LESI communications committee
chair, LES software committee
co-chair, LES 2012 Winter Meeting
educational chair, LES Philadelphia Chapter
chair, Advanced Technology & Computers Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
member, Mid-Atlantic District Export Council, by appointment of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce
member, Standards Setting Committee and IP Licensing Committee of the Intellectual Property Owners Association
member, Association of University Technology Managers
member, Board of Directors for the America-Israel Chamber of Commerce (Central Atlantic Region).

Awards & Accolades

Received the firm’s “Pro Bono Challenge” award, 2009-2012
Named the pro bono attorney of the year in the firm’s Philadelphia office, 2011.

Speaking Engagements

Patent Evaluation: Trends, Tools and Techniques, 2010 Annual Meeting of the Licensing Executives Society International, Sandton, South Africa, April 13, 2010
Latest Directions in Patent Evaluation, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada), San Francisco, October 21, 2009
Understanding Software Revenue Recognition, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada), San Francisco, October 20, 2009
Business Drivers and Negotiation Strategies for Inbound and Outbound Licensing, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada), San Francisco October 19, 2009
Evaluating Patents for Competitive Intelligence, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Licensing Executives Society International, Manila, Philippines, June 10, 2009
Anatomy of an IP License, Fourteenth Annual Business Lawyers’ Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 12, 2008.

Licensed to practice in Pennsylvania only and under the supervision of the partners of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Application for admission to the New York Bar pending.