Institute News

Hanns Ullrich’s career has been characterised by a relentless pursuit of excellence and a deep commitment to understanding the complexities of intellectual property law. In his academic work, he has addressed critical issues of patent law, competition law and the intersection of technology and innovation. His findings have not only advanced academic discourse, but have also influenced the legal framework and jurisprudence worldwide.

Already during his time as a Senior Research Fellow at the then Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law in the 1970s and 1980s, Hanns Ullrich stood out because of his critical view of intellectual property law at a time when this did not correspond to the scientific mainstream at the Institute, much less outside it. And yet, thanks to this very trait, he can be regarded as a trailblazer and important pioneer of modern intellectual property law.

Beyond his academic achievements, Hanns Ullrich is celebrated for his mentoring role and his commitment to supporting the next generation of legal scholars. His ability to inspire young researchers and his willingness to initiate critical dialogue at all times have made him a challenging and therefore highly esteemed figure in the academic community.

After a long and impressive career, first as full professor at the University of the Bundeswehr (Federal Armed Forces) in Munich and from 2003 to 2006 also as a full professor at the European University Institute in Florence, Hanns Ullrich returned to the Institute as an Affiliated Research Fellow. We extend our hearfelt thanks to him for his contributions to numerous research projects since then. To this day, he can regularly be found in his office and he continues to speak out on current topics - most recently in the research paper Die Schattenseite des Einheitspatents (The Dark Side of the Unitary Patent) in the Institute’s SSRN series.

Hanns Ullrich has received many honours. In 2009, for his 70^th birthday, he was presented with the commemorative publication Technology and Competition/Technologie et Concurrence, which was followed up in the volume A Critical Mind, published in 2020. In 2015, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Law at the University of Zurich.

Even in his advanced age, Professor Ullrich’s influence remains undiminished. His publications continue to be essential reading for anyone interested in the dynamics of intellectual property and competition law. Even his earlier works are still cited by academics today, a testament to their enduring relevance and impact.

The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition congratulates Hanns Ullrich most sincerely on his 85^th birthday. We celebrate not only his remarkable career, but also his contributions to our community and the research fields of our Institute. His thinking is defined by intellectual rigour, integrity and his unwavering commitment to the pursuit of knowledge.

Rudolf Kraßer was born in Fürth and attended the Oberrealschule there. After graduating from high school in 1952, he decided to study law at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich on a scholarship from the Maximilianeum Foundation. After passing his law exams, he obtained his doctorate in 1960 under Eugen Ulmer, the founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law - as the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition was then known - with a comparative law dissertation on the legal status of various national patent offices. In his subsequent time as a research assistant at the Institute, he was a key pillar of the project on unfair competition in Europe. He wrote the volume on French unfair competition law in 1967. In 1970, Rudolf Kraßer also completed his habilitation with Eugen Ulmer with a comparative law thesis on the protection of contractual rights against interference by third parties under tort and unfair competition law.

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) appointed Rudolf Kraßer as a full professor in 1973, where he devoted himself primarily to the legal training of industrial engineering graduates at the former Faculty of General Sciences. His academic work comprises around 100 publications on the protection of intellectual property rights alone, a considerable number of which resulted from projects at the Institute. Particularly noteworthy is his work on patent law, now continued by Christoph Ann, which is regarded as a leading textbook and handbook and has earned Rudolf Kraßer a reputation as the doyen of patent law in the German-speaking world.

Rudolf Kraßer was appointed to the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition Law as an External Scientific Member in 1974. To this day, he attends meetings of the Institute in an advisory capacity, most recently on 17 June 2024 at the meeting of the Board of Trustees.

He was involved in many committees and organizations and received numerous awards and honours. These reflect his outstanding achievements and his high standing in the scientific community. He is regarded as a shining example of true scientific excellence. This is combined in a very likeable way with his reserved manner, which never pushes his own person to the fore. His written and spoken word is convincing.

The Institute would like to thank Rudolf Kraßer for his many years of support and active involvement in many of the Institute's research projects, which did not begin with his appointment as a Foreign Scientific Member 50 years ago. We wish him all the best on his 90th birthday!

His scientific achievements have been honored in many ways, including the Science Prize of the Stifterverband der Deutschen Wissenschaft in 2000 and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Ljubljana and Kragujevac. He is also a member of the Academia Europea and a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of Slovenia, as well as a foreign member (socio straniero) of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (the oldest scientific academy in the world) and a foreign member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In addition to his birthday, the emeritus professor has another reason to celebrate this year: the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) Cooperation Project, which he led from 2003 to 2008, has been in existence for 20 years and has gained an excellent international reputation with its Master's program. In recognition of his vision and leadership role in founding the MIPLC, the “MIPLC Joseph Straus Distinguished Service Award” was created and first awarded five years ago.

Joseph Straus has not only taught as an honorary professor at the LMU Munich, but also as a visiting professor at numerous foreign universities. His contacts in the USA and China are particularly close. Joseph Straus is an honorary professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan and Tongji University in Shanghai. The cooperation with Tongji University, which has existed for 20 years and is also being celebrated these days, was largely co-initiated and supported by him.

Even in the year in which he turned 85, Joseph Straus is still giving lectures and courses. The list of his publications continues to grow.

For further appreciation of Joseph Straus' research and achievements, please refer to this article on our website and the editorial in GRUR Int 67, (12/2018).

Nominations and Self-Nominations Sought for the Position of Director (f/m/d) at the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition

The Institute invites nominations, including self-nominations, for a Director, who is expected to lead a research department at the Institute. While the specific area of expertise is open, the future Director’s unique, innovative and long-term research program should focus on the study of the economic foundations and implications of innovation processes.

Max Planck Directors should have a record of excellent research and successful leadership, the ability or potential to devise a long-term visionary strategy for their research, and the potential to make a substantial contribution to their Institute’s mission. They are also expected to develop collaborations with other departments at the Institute and other institutes within the society as well as other globally leading research organizations.

Research at the MPI for Innovation and Competition is focused on legal and economic studies of processes of innovation and competition (see website). Our mission is to understand the incentives, determinants and implications of innovation. Currently, the Institute has three departments, each led by one Director: The new Director will join the directorate as the successor to one of the three Directors (Dietmar Harhoff). The Institute offers outstanding infrastructure for studying innovation via the use of, e.g., large data in econometric studies as well as field and lab experiments. The working language is English.

The Institute is located in Munich, Germany, and has close collaborative links with both Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich and the Technical University of Munich.

The Institute is part of the Max Planck Society, an independent non-governmental association dedicated to fundamental research in the natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The Max Planck Society, an equal opportunities employer, is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment and is particularly committed to increasing the number of women among its scientific leadership. Therefore, we strongly encourage nominations of qualified female researchers.

Nominations, including self-nominations, should be sent to: nominations(at)ip.mpg.de.

A nomination should include:
 

• The candidate’s name and current affiliation
• A brief motivational statement (200 words max.) specifying why you have nominated the candidate

Note that this call is part of the Institute’s scouting procedure; its purpose is to inform the Institute about possible candidates. The formal appointment procedure will follow. As a result of this call, a selection of (self-)nominated candidates will then be invited for a visit to the Institute in due time.

All nominations will be treated in the strictest confidence. We expect this call to remain open until midnight (CET) on Sunday, 18 September 2022.

Download the Call for Nominations and Self-Nominations: PDF