A Tribute to Prof. Don Polden (1948-2024)
I’m saddened by the death of my colleague, friend, and former supervisor, Prof. Donald (Don) Polden. Don was the dean that hired me as a tenure-track faculty at Santa Clara Law in 2006. I had been an adjunct instructor at…
Should Tenure Candidates Whitelist or Blocklist External Reviewers?
I was recently asked by a pre-tenure IP colleague if they should enumerate any external reviewers on a whitelist or blocklist of reviewers when they apply for tenure. There is no single answer to this question across all academia. The…
My Daughter’s (Unexpected) College Choice
I’m excited to announce that my daughter will attend University of Oregon Class of 2028, where she is a Stamps Scholar and will participate in the university’s Clark Honors College. She has not selected a major yet, but it will…
Speaking/Travel Schedule Q2 2024
On deck for Q2. As always, happy to try to arrange a get-together if I’m in your area. April 2-4: speaking about age authentication at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit in Washington DC. Santa Clara Law is hosting a get-together…
In Memoriam: Prof. Dan Burk
I’m devastated to report that UC Irvine Law School professor Dan Burk has died. 💔 His death comes just days before an already-scheduled event to celebrate his life, which will now become an emotionally wrenching memorial. Dan was a brilliant…
I’ve Finished Work on My Mom and Stepdad’s Estates
We’re nearing the 9 year anniversary of my mom’s death. As regular readers know, her death in 2015 threw my life into chaos because she had a complicated estate to resolve: 15 real estate properties, her publishing business, my stepdad…
When Is the Best Time to Post a Paper Draft to SSRN?
I’ve been asked if authors should post law review article drafts to SSRN before or after a law journal accepts it. This post offers some brief thoughts about the considerations. * * * Note 1: The pre-/post-placement decision may look…
Q1 2024 Travel/Speaking Schedule
My schedule as of today: January 18-21: Eugene, Oregon (family trip) February 2-3: WIPIP at SCU February 9: Celebration of Dan Burk, UC Irvine February 23-24: Trademark Roundtable at UNLV March 2: San Diego (family trip) March 19: USC IP…
ChatGPT’s College Application Essay, “Cali Girl” Style
My daughter is a senior in high school and applying to college. She asked ChatGPT to write a college application essay for a California GenZ female interested in arts and the humanities. I was amused by what ChatGPT came up…
IP/Tech Experts Ed Lee and Zahr Said Are Becoming My Santa Clara Law Colleagues!
I’m thrilled that Profs. Ed Lee (currently at Chicago-Kent School of Law) and Zahr Said (currently at the University of Washington Law School) are joining the Santa Clara University School of Law faculty in Fall. As I said in the…