Prof. Dr. Rudolf Kraßer
People  |  09/28/2024

Celebrating Rudolf Kraßer's 90th Birthday

On 28 September 2024, Prof. Dr. Rudolf Kraßer, External Scientific Member of the Institute and Professor Emeritus of Private Law and Patent Law at the Technical University of Munich, will reach the age of 90. On this occasion, we would like to pay tribute to the outstanding achievements and life's work of this extraordinary scholar.

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Kraßer
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Kraßer

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!

New location at Karlstor/Stachus in Munich. Photo: Myriam Rion
Miscellaneous  |  09/11/2024

Relocation of the Institute and New Building Site

Due to space constraints, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition has to move to a new building. The transfer to the new location is planned for the second quarter of 2025.

New location at Karlstor/Stachus in Munich. Photo: Myriam Rion
New location at Karlstor/Stachus in Munich. Photo: Myriam Rion

The Institute is currently housed in three locally dispersed buildings, with a significant space deficit. A new building had to be found in order to eliminate this space problem and to bring the scientific and service departments together under one roof. After a comprehensive search, a suitable solution was found in a property at Herzog-Max-Straße/corner of Neuhauser Straße. 


The central location will continue to ensure good and fast accessibility to the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and the Technical University of Munich, which is of crucial importance for scientific cooperation, teaching as well as joint doctoral training and supervision.


Read full report

Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)
People  |  07/10/2024

Rupprecht Podszun appointed to the German Monopolies Commission

Rupprecht Podszun was appointed to the Monopolies Commission by the German government on 1 July. Podszun started his career at the Institute as a doctoral student and later as a research assistant. His dissertation and habilitation were supervised by Josef Drexl. Podszun was associated with the Institute as an Affiliated Research Fellow until 2022.

Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun (Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)
Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun (© Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf)

Prof. Dr. Rupprecht Podszun teaches at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, where he holds a chair in civil law, German and European competition law. After completing his doctorate in international antitrust law, Podszun initially worked as a legal consultant at the German Federal Cartel Office before returning to the institute and completing his habilitation at the LMU Munich under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Josef Drexl. From 2013 to 2016, he held a chair for intellectual property law at the University of Bayreuth.


Podszun’s research focuses on antitrust and competition law, digital regulation and sustainability issues. He has written several expert reports for the German Bundestag, federal ministries, the EU Commission and the European Parliament. Together with Prof. Dr. Justus Haucap, former Chairman of the Monopolies Commission, he clarifies competition law issues in the podcast „Bei Anruf Wettbewerb“.


The Monopolies Commission is an independent advisory body that supports the German government and legislative bodies in the areas of competition policy, competition law and regulation. Its reports are publicly available. The Monopolies Commission also advises the Federal Court of Justice on request.

Participants of the Munich Summer Institute 2024
Event Report  |  06/03/2024

Munich Summer Institute 2024

Since its premiere in 2016, the Munich Summer Institute, which has now been held for the eighth time, has aimed to foster networking within an international and interdisciplinary research community. It is jointly organized by the Center for Law & Economics at ETH Zurich, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, the Technical University of Munich, the ISTO at LMU Munich, HEC Lausanne, and Cornell University.

Participants of the Munich Summer Institute 2024
Participants of the Munich Summer Institute 2024. Photo: Alexander Suyer.

The MSI 2024 took place from 22 to 24 May 2024 with around 100 participants on the premises of the Munich Residence. It was preceded by the third MSI Ph.D. Workshop on 21 May 2024.


This year’s program of the main conference comprised two keynote lectures, 17 plenary presentations and a daily poster session, including a poster slam. The first conference day, which as co-organized by Tobias Kretschmer (LMU), Christian Peukert (HEC Lausanne), and Imke Reimers (Cornell University), focused on Platforms, AI Adoption and Personalization.


Chaired by Dietmar Harhoff, Joachim Henkel (TUM), and Hanna Hottenrott (TUM), the presentations of the second conference day related to Patents, Gender, Talent & Geography. Tim Simcoe, Professor at the Boston University Questrom School of Business, gave a keynote lecture on “Long Con or Righteous Claim? A Policy Debate over Patent Prosecution”. As a cherished MSI tradition, the second day was concluded with a hearty dinner in a typically Bavarian restaurant.


The third and final conference day – chaired by Stefan Bechtold (ETH Zurich), Christian Peukert (HEC Lausanne), and Imke Reimers (Cornell University) – covered a broad range of topics related to intellectual property, in particular Patents, Copyright, and Franchising Contracts. Christopher Buccafusco, Edward & Ellen Schwarzman Distinguished Professor of Law at Duke University, gave a keynote presentation on Beyond Supply-Side Innovation Incentives”, arguing to look at incentive mechanisms that affect the demand for products, rather than the supply of products. Lennert Peede (IAB) was awarded the MSI Ph.D. Workshop’s Best Paper Award for his paper on “Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Skills Demand and Employment: Evidence from Linked Job Ads Data”.


All organizing parties involved  thank the speakers, discussants, and attendants for a fascinating Munich Summer Institute 2024. We are already looking forward to the Munich Summer Institute 2025, which will take place from 26 to 28 Mai 2025!


More information: http://munich-summer-institute.org

Call for Papers: The Law and The Amazon
Miscellaneous  |  05/22/2024

Call for Papers: The Law and The Amazon – Challenges for a Sustainable Future

The Forum Latin America, a Max Planck Law Initiative, invites the submission of abstracts to participate in its conference “The Law and the Amazon: Challenges for a Sustainable Future” to be held  in Freiburg on 17 and 18 October 2024.

Call for Papers: The Law and The Amazon
Photo: © Adobe | #139385459

The conference will be held at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law. Travel funding is available for international participants requiring assistance with travel expenses to attend the conference.


The Amazon rainforest symbolizes the heart of Latin America, but it's also a place that reflects problems affecting the continent and globally. Placing it at the center of the debate allows opening up issues of general interest, such as climate change, sustainable development, conflicts over land rights, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, environmental degradation, access to connectivity and digitization, urban and rural life developments and inequalities, and how to set limits to extractive industrialization.


Please find the details to submit your abstract by 17 June on the Max Planck Law website.

Event Report  |  05/17/2024

Opening up Data for Research on Ukraine – Roundtable

On 14 May 2024, the Institute hosted the Roundtable Opening up Data for Research on Ukraine. It was organized in a hybrid format and featured German, Ukrainian, and other foreign guests and speakers. The overarching goal of this exchange in four panels was to contribute to the availability and suitability of Ukrainian public data for research.

Event photo Roundtable ‘Opening up Data for Research on Ukraine’
Roundtable ‘Opening up Data for Research on Ukraine’. Photos: Myriam Rion

The four panels of the event were held under the following topics:


  • Panel 1 – Intellectual Property Data in Ukraine
  • Panel 2 – Health and Medical Innovation Data
  • Panel 3 – Innovation Activity, Entrepreneurship and Industry Data in Ukraine
  • Panel 4 – Data for the Research on Science in Ukraine


The results of the event are summarized in this event poster.


The full program with all presenters is also available for download.


Contact person: Liudmyla Petrenko

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Annette Kur
Award  |  05/14/2024

Annette Kur inducted into the IP Hall of Fame

Together with Jenny Lukander (Nokia), Shira Perlmutter (U.S. Copyright Office) and Klaus Grabinski (German Federal Supreme Court, Unified Patent Court), Annette Kur has been inducted into the IP Hall of Fame. This award is only presented to four people worldwide each year.

Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Annette Kur
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Annette Kur

The prize, which has been awarded by the IP Hall of Fame Academy since 2006 and was developed by the IAM platform, honors personalities who have made a special contribution to establishing intellectual property as one of the most important economic factors of the 21st century. Award winners include the former directors of the Institute, Friedrich Karl Beier and Joseph Straus.


The IP Hall of Fame Academy is made up of former, living members of the IP Hall of Fame and individuals who have been nominated for membership based on their recognized expertise in international intellectual property issues.


Annette Kur was a Research Fellow at the Institute from 1980 to 2021 and has remained closely associated with the Institute as an Affiliated Research Fellow since 2021. Her research focuses on European and international trademark and design law, overlap issues, and the interface between intellectual property and private international law. In 2023, she played a leading role in the Institute's Statement on the EU-Design Package.


See also World Trademark Review

Max Planck Research Group Leader Benedict Probst (Net Zero Lab)
People  |  04/30/2024

The Institute Welcomes New Max Planck Research Group Leader Benedict Probst (Net Zero Lab)

The environmental economist Benedict Probst is establishing an independent Max Planck Research Group at the Institute starting in May 2024. The goal of the Net Zero Lab is to accelerate the development of green technologies that are crucial for replacing fossil fuels in industry as well as of technologies that remove CO2 directly from the air.

Max Planck Research Group Leader Benedict Probst (Net Zero Lab)
Max Planck Research Group Leader Benedict Probst (Net Zero Lab)

Max Planck Research Group Leaders are appointed by the President of the Max Planck Society and enjoy an independent status similar to that of directors. With his group, Benedict Probst will explore the economic determinants, incentives, and implications of green innovation. “I am very much looking forward to this new challenge,” says Probst. “I have been following the Institute’s excellent research for a long time and I am very happy to be able to establish my research group here.” He will be a member of the economics department “Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research”, which is headed by Dietmar Harhoff.


Benedict was born in Munich, but has spent most of the last decade abroad. He received his Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from the University of Cambridge and was a senior researcher and lecturer at ETH Zurich. In addition to his academic work, he worked for a green startup and consulted for the World Bank and the German Development Bank.


“The group will focus on examining the entire innovation process, from invention through commercialization to global diffusion,” says Probst. “It is very important to us to exchange ideas with policymakers and companies so that our findings also make their way into society.”


The Net Zero Lab is now hiring (2–3 Doctoral Candidates, 1–2 Postdocs): see Employment Opportunities.


To the personal website of Benedict Probst


Updated on 10 July 2024.

RISE Logo
Miscellaneous  |  04/18/2024

Call for Papers – RISE7 Workshop

Young researchers working in the fields of Economics or Management who would like to present an empirical research paper at the 7th Research on Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurship Workshop are invited to submit it until 26 July 2024.

For the seventh time now, the two-day event is organized by Ph.D. students and Post-docs of the Department for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research headed by Dietmar Harhoff to give young scholars the opportunity to present their work.


The RISE7 Workshop on 17/18 December 2024 aims at stimulating a rigorous in-depth discussion of a selected number of research papers by Ph.D. students and Junior Post-docs, providing feedback and connecting with peers from other research institutions.


Keynote speaker of the RISE7 Workshop is Matt Marx (Cornell University).


Get the Call for Papers.


See RISE6 Workshop Website.

Dan L. Burk (1962 – 2024)
People  |  02/09/2024

In Memoriam Dan L. Burk (1962 – 2024)

We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Dan L. Burk, Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. He passed away on 4 February 2024, leaving behind a profound and worldwide legacy on issues related to technology law, including the areas of patent, copyright, electronic commerce, and biotechnology law.

Dan L. Burk (1962 – 2024)
Dan L. Burk (1962 – 2024). Photo: UCI Law

He had close ties with the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. He was a member of the Advisory Board from 2013 to 2023. In 2011, as a Fulbright Scholar, he conducted groundbreaking research at the Institute on the patenting of biotechnology in Germany and the European Union. Dan was a long-standing member of the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) faculty. His contributions were crucial in helping to establish the excellent reputation and made a profound impact on the MIPLC community.


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