معرفی
Jorge L. Contreras serves as the James T. Jensen Endowed Professor for Transactional Law and Director of the Program on Intellectual Property and Technology Law at the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law. He also holds an appointment as Adjunct Associate Professor in Human Genetics, demonstrating his interdisciplinary expertise. Professor Contreras teaches courses in intellectual property, property law, technical standardization, antitrust, and science policy. He has testified before U.S. Senate and House Subcommittees on Intellectual Property and is an elected member of the American Law Institute, having received the University of Utah's Distinguished Research Award in 2020.
Professor Contreras earned his JD cum laude from Harvard Law School and his BA and BSEE from Rice University. He clerked for Chief Justice Thomas R. Philips of the Texas Supreme Court before entering private practice at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, where he worked in Boston, London, and Washington DC. Prior to joining Utah, he taught at American University Washington College of Law and Washington University in St. Louis.
Professor Contreras' research focuses on the intersection of intellectual property law with genomics, technical standardization, and science policy. His work examines how IP frameworks impact scientific research, technology transfer, and public health. He has written extensively on genomic data sharing, patent pledges, standards-essential patents, and university technology transfer. His book "The Genome Defense: Inside the Epic Legal Battle to Determine Who Owns Your DNA" (Hachette/Algonquin, 2021) received praise from the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and Nature, and was named "Best Patent Law Book of the Year" by the IPKat blog.
His recent scholarship shows a consistent focus on applying intellectual property frameworks to emerging technologies and public health challenges. Contreras frequently examines pandemic response mechanisms, genomic data governance, vaccine development pathways, and pharmaceutical pricing through the lens of IP law. His comparative analyses of U.S. and international approaches to FRAND licensing and patent enforcement demonstrate his global perspective on technology governance.
Professor Contreras has received significant recognition for his scholarly contributions:
- University of Utah's Distinguished Research Award (2020)
- Rossman Memorial Award by the Patent & Trademark Office Society (2022)
- Best Patent Law Book of the Year by IPKat blog (2021)
- Elected member of the American Law Institute (2021)
- Presidential Scholar at University of Utah (2019)
Professor Contreras maintains active leadership roles in the legal academy and policy communities. He currently serves as Co-Chair of the Interdisciplinary Division of the ABA's Section of Science & Technology Law and as Chair of the AALS Remedies Section. His service includes previous appointments on the NIH Council of Councils, the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Intellectual Property Management, and the Advisory Board of the American Antitrust Institute. His grant-funded research includes work for the European Commission on standard essential patents. Contreras also participates in genomic research ethics through advisory roles with the HerediGene Population Study at Intermountain Healthcare and the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health.
