Ned E. Barlas concentrates his practice on heading up and supporting a variety of complex transactions where Intellectual Property (IP) is a driving force. Mr. Barlas’ practice is “technology agnostic”, and he is adept at handling matters across a wide range of industries and technologies, including software, hardware, semiconductor, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical instrumentation, telecommunications, nanotechnology, chemical processes, oil and gas production, process controls, consumer products, financial services, new-media content distribution and university technology transfer. Mr. Barlas’ representative engagements 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 silicon wafer fab among parties in Russia, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.
• structuring the sale of a division of an industry-leading software company to one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturers
• drafting and negotiating a software license agreement on behalf of a multinational conglomerate to one of Mexico’s largest mobile phone service providers
• representing one of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturers in deals 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
• negotiating numerous development, license, and commercial agreements on behalf of a global manufacturer of components and systems for injectable drug delivery
• 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.

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 a frequent speaker and author in the area of intellectual property law, and he is active in the legal and professional communities. Mr. Barlas’ positions have included:

• adjunct faculty member, Villanova University School of Law, teaching contract drafting
• various leadership roles in the Licensing Executives Society — USA/Canada (LES) and Licensing Executives Society International (LESI):
  • LESI International Delegate 
  • chair, LESI Communications Committee
  • vice chair, LESI Patent and Technology License Committee
  • co-chair, LES 2012 Winter Meeting
  • chair, LES Software Committee 
  • 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)

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).

Mr. Barlas is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania only and under the supervision of the partners of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Mr. Barlas' application for admission to the New York Bar is pending.