Rouget Frederic (Ric) Henschel is a Partner in the Intellectual Property group.  His experience includes technologies such as biotechnology, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

Dr. Henschel’s practice focuses on counseling clients in patent matters, representing clients before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), litigation, and licensing. Specifically, his practice includes inter partes review; validity and freedom-to-operate opinions; due diligence investigations; negotiating and interpreting patent licenses; procuring domestic and foreign patents; post-grant reexamination and reissue proceedings; and interferences.  His practice also includes litigation in federal and state trial courts and appeals before the USPTO Patent Trials and Appeals Board and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  

Dr. Henschel served as a law clerk to Chief Judge Randall R. Rader (retired) of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 

A frequent public speaker, he has served as a faculty member of the Patent Information Users Group, the Pharmaceutical Education & Research Institute and the Asia Pacific Legal Institute.  On behalf of the Federal Circuit Historical Society, he has moderated panel discussions to provide videotaped oral histories of the late Chief Judge Howard T. Markey and the late Judge Marion T. Bennett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Publications and Speeches

  • Drafting Patents for Litigation and Licensing, 3rd Ed., Chapter 1: “The State of the Law of Claim Construction and Infringement,” R.F. Henschel, BNA Books (2018)
  • “US Supreme Court strengthens patents (for a change),” R.F. Henschel and K. Littman, Science Business (June 23, 2016)
  • “UK plan to ratify single patent is a pragmatic approach,” R.F. Henschel, Science Business (December 1, 2016)
  • “US fast track for cancer patents shows intellectual property can drive innovation,” R.F. Henschel, Science Business (July 14, 2016)
  • “Could Brexit be a death knell for the European Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court?” R.F. Henschel, Science Business (July 4, 2016)
  • “America Invents Act Update 2,” R.F. Henschel, Science Business (February 16, 2012)
  • “America Invents Act Update 1,” R.F. Henschel, Science Business (February 9, 2012)
  • Nanomanufacturing Handbook, Chapter 15: “Patenting Nanotechnology,” R.F. Henschel and S. Maebius, CRC Press (2007)
  • “CREATE: New Patent Law Signed December 2004 Targets the Thorny Rose Garden of Collaborative R&D,” J.S. Rutt, R.F. Henschel, and R.C. Peet, Legal News: IP Litigation (February 2005)
  • “Broad Chemical Compound Claims May Be Too Good To Be True,” R.F. Henschel and R.C. Peet, Legal News: European Perspective (May 2004)

Presentations

  • “Negotiating & Drafting Masterclass,” Workshop at ACI Conference on Life Sciences IP Due Diligence (November 2019, Boston)
  • “Public/Private Collaborations Accelerating Innovation,” NutrEvent 2015 (June 2015, Lille)
  • “Flourishing Innovation Ecosystems — An IP Lawyer’s Perspective,” Aalto University Academic Summit (November 2014, Aalto)
  • “Biotech and Pharmaceutical Patenting in the US Market,” IBC Legal Conference: Biotech & Pharmaceutical Patenting (February 2014, Munich)
  • “Potential Impact of the AIA on US Patent Litigation,” C5 Forum on Biotech Patenting (March 2012, Munich)
  • “An Overview of the Post-Grant Review Proceedings,” US Patent Reform Congress (November 2011, London)
  • “Personalized Medicine: Patenting Genes and Theranostics,” IBC Legal Conference: Biotech & Pharmaceutical Patenting (February 2011, Munich)
  • “Major Case Law and Policy Developments in the US,” C5 Forum on Biotech Patenting (October 2010, London)
  • “Follow-On Biologics (FOBs): US legislative initiatives to accelerate FOBs to market,” Biotech Patenting Forum (October 2009, London)
  • “Never a Dull Moment: An Update on Patent Rules, Patent Reform, Case Law,” Patent Information Users Group (PIUG) 2009 Northeast Conference
  • “Licensing issues in the US: Legal constraints on commercial arrangements,” EuroBio 2009 (September 2009, Lille)
  • “Trends in IP Case Law: What Every GC Needs to Know,” BIO General Counsels Committee Meeting (September 2009)
  • “U.S. Patent Law in Flux: Can Dealmakers Adjust?” BIO-Europe 2008 (November 2008, Mannheim)
  • “Accelerated Examination,” BIO Intellectual Property Counsels’ Committee Conference (October 2008)
  • “Obviousness Determinations After KSR v Teleflex,” Biotech Patenting Forum (September 2008, London)
  • “The $100,000 Application And ‘Dead on Arrival’ Rule Changes For Biological Deposits and Markush Claims,” Patent Information Users Group (PIUG) 2008 Annual Conference
  • “Protecting Biotech in the U.S.: Recent Developments and Key Issues,” FlandersBio Tech Transfer and IPR Luncheon (May 2008, Gent)
  • “USPTO Rules Package: 2008 Status Report,” Biotech Patenting Forum (April 2008, Munich)
  • “Looming USPTO Rule Changes and Legislative Reform,” BIO-Europe 2007 (November 2007, Hamburg)
  • “Infringement: Being Aware of Its Many Guises To Protect Your Position in Today’s Market,” Biotech Patenting Forum (September 2007, London)
  • “Patent Reform and USPTO Practice – Strategies and Tactics for Handling The Changes,” Biotech Patenting Forum (April 2007, Munich)
  • “Bracing for the Impact of USPTO Reform: Strategies for Complex Patent Portfolio Management,” R.F. Henschel, M.S. Walker, and S. Maebius, Corporate Patent Congress 2007 (January 22, 2007)
  • “Fundamentals & Strategies of Patent Enforcement,” Asia Pacific Legal Institute’s Summer Intellectual Property Training Program (2006, 2005)
  • “What is a Patent” and “Basics of Patent Law: Outside the U.S.,” for the program “Patent Information for Pharma/Biotech” of the Pharmaceutical Education & Research Institute (2006, 2004, 2002, 2001)
  • “Patenting Software,” 2005 Japanese Intellectual Property Association Seminar, A.C. Chatterjee, R.F. Henschel
  • “Recent Intellectual Property Trends Affecting USA Biotech Deals,” Bio-M Biotechnology and Business Workshop (April 4, 2005), M. Simkin and R.F. Henschel
  • “Cherry-Picking Prior Art: How Patent Attorneys Use Search Reports,” Patent Information Users Group (PIUG) 2004 Annual Meeting
  • “Nanotechnology Patent Explosion,” 2nd New England International Nanomanufacturing Workshop (2004)
  • Panel discussion and presentations on “Government Appropriation of IP Rights: Impact on Multinationals,” Health Care/Biotech Workshop, 2002 Spring Meeting, Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada), Inc., R.F. Henschel, S. Baldia, S. Rayavan
  • “U.S. Patent Law for Patent Searchers,” Patent Information Users Group (PIUG) 2000 Annual Meeting

Memberships and Affiliations

  • American Bar Association, Co-Chair of Precision Medicine Committee, Life Sciences Division of Science & Technology Law Section
  • Washington Area Chapter of the German American Law Association, President
  • Food and Drug Law Institute, Publications Peer Review Committee member
  • National Conference of Scientists and Lawyers (ABA-appointed member)
  • Washington Building Congress, Innovation Committee and Diversity Task Force member

Languages

  • French
  • German

Education

Georgetown University Law Center, J.D.

City University of New York, Ph.D. Organic Chemistry

City College of New York, B.S. Chemistry

Previous Experience

  • Foley & Lardner LLP, Partner
  • Lyon & Lyon LLP, Associate

Clerkships

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Hon. Chief Judge Randall R. Rader

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Virginia
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

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