Robert Merges

Robert Merges is the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Professor of Law at Berkeley Law, University of California, Berkeley. He serves as Co-Director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, a leading program in Intellectual Property ranked #1 by US News. Previously, he taught at Boston University School of Law and held visiting positions at Harvard and Stanford Law Schools.

Education: B.S. from Carnegie-Mellon University (1981), J.D. from Yale University (1985), and LL.M./J.S.D. from Columbia University (1988). His expertise spans

• Law and Economics
• Intellectual Property
• Technology Law

with notable contributions to patent policy, IP philosophical foundations, and legal-economic analysis.

Recent research emphasizes patent pools, distributive justice in copyright, and critiques of utilitarian legal paradigms. His writings blend theoretical rigor with practical policy implications, reflected in over 10 books and influential journal articles since 2012.

Professional roles include co-founding Ovidian LLC, a patent valuation firm, and leadership in academic institutions. His work integrates legal scholarship with real-world IP challenges in technology-driven economies.