Robert M. Vrana

Robert M. Vrana is a Partner at Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, where he practices in the firm's Intellectual Property and Litigation and Trial Practice groups. His patent litigation practice is diverse, spanning various technology areas, including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, software, networking, blockchain technology, and wearable devices. Beyond patent disputes, he also handles other intellectual property matters such as copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets.

Vrana demonstrates a practice that serves both plaintiffs and defendants, though his case history shows a slight preference for defense-side engagements, with four defendant-side appearances compared to two plaintiff-side. He frequently serves as lead or local Delaware counsel in patent and trademark cases in the District of Delaware. His firm's intellectual property team also has experience before the USPTO in inter partes review (IPR) and other adversarial proceedings. For example, in a case where he was lead local counsel for defendant Xencor, Merus N.V. v. Xencor, Inc., related IPR proceedings (IPR2025-00605 and IPR2025-00604) were filed by Xencor against Merus and subsequently terminated-settled.

Among his notable cases, Vrana represented defendants in Realtime Data LLC v. Array Networks Inc. et al., where the Federal Circuit affirmed the district court's dismissal, finding the asserted data compression patents invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101. In Merus N.V. v. Xencor, Inc., the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware granted a motion to dismiss, holding that the accused use of patented antibody technology was protected by the Hatch-Waxman safe harbor. He also represented the plaintiff in Ouraring, Inc. v. RingConn LLC, a smart ring patent dispute where one District Court case was voluntarily dismissed with prejudice by Ouraring. A related ITC action between Ouraring and RingConn settled rapidly, within 21 days.

Robert M. Vrana earned his J.D., cum laude, from Washington and Lee University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is admitted to practice in Delaware.