Shyamkrishna Balganesh

Shyamkrishna Balganesh is the Sol Goldman Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, part of Columbia University. He specializes in intellectual property law, technology law, and legal theory, with a focus on the intersection of copyright law and common law principles. Balganesh holds advanced degrees from Yale Law School, the University of Oxford, and the National Law School of India University.

His research explores how common law concepts shape intellectual property frameworks, particularly through analyses of copyright’s institutional dynamics and legal internalism. He has contributed to leading law journals and co-authored sections of the Nimmer on Copyright treatise. Prior to Columbia, he was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago Law School.

Balganesh’s awards include membership in the American Law Institute (2017–present), the Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching (2017), and the A. Leo Levin Award for Teaching Excellence (2015). His courses include Property, Intellectual Property Law, and Legal Methods. He advises on the Restatement of the Law, Copyright and serves as a referee for multiple legal journals.

His work bridges legal history and modern challenges, addressing topics like fair use, judicial methodology, and the evolution of copyright’s institutional role. He leads discussions on emerging issues in AI, copyright, and digital innovation through academic publications and media engagements.