Meet our IP Law faculty and leadership
Mark F. Schultz
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Chair in Intellectual Property Law and Director, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program
Professor Schultz joined the faculty in 2020. Prior to coming to Akron, he was a professor at Southern Illinois University School of Law for 16 years and was co-founder and a leader of the Center for Protection of Intellectual Property at George Mason University in Washington, D.C., where he remains non-resident Senior Scholar.
Emily Michiko Morris
Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Center for IP Law & Technology
Emily Michiko Morris, an experienced teacher and scholar in specializing in patent law, particularly as it relates to biotechnology and university research, and is an expert on intellectual property and regulatory issues related to the pharmaceutical industry. Her research also focuses on comparative law and comparative intellectual property law. Professor Morris’ work has been published in books and leading journals, such as the Connecticut Law Review, the Stanford Technology Law Review, and the Harvard Journal of Gender and Law. Professor Morris is also currently a Scholar and Edison Fellow at the Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy at George Mason University in Washington, D.C.
Ryan T. Holte
Distinguished Jurist in Residence and Professor of Law
Professor Holte stepped down from his positions as associate professor of law, David L. Brennan Endowed Chair in Law, and director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Technology ahead of taking the judicial oath to serve on the United States Court of Federal Claims in July 2019. Judge Holte continues in a part-time faculty position as jurist-in-residence professor of law.
Michael Doane
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law
Michael Doane joined the Akron Law faculty as a full-time visiting assistant professor of law in 2023. He had been teaching as a part-time adjunct faculty member for several years. Previously general counsel at Kent Displays, Inc., in Kent, Ohio. Prior to that, he was principal at Miles & Stockbridge P.C., in Tysons Corner, Va. Earlier, he was a partner at the Washington, D.C., law firm Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP. He specialized in international trade and intellectual property litigation.
Jess Miers
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law
Jess Miers is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Akron School of Law. A lawyer and technologist, Jess focuses on the intersection of law and technology, with recent research and scholarship centered on Generative AI. Jess is recognized as an expert in U.S. online intermediary liability law and has extensively written, spoken, and taught on issues such as online speech and Section 230, content moderation, intellectual property, and cybercrime.
Patrick H. Gaughan
Assistant Dean of Global Engagement, Associate Professor of Law
Professor Gaughan has domestic experience working with early-stage and closely held businesses. He also has experience with legal education in S.E. Asia. He currently teaches U.C.C. Sales, Contracts, Entrepreneurship, and Introduction to the Vietnamese Legal System. For the Spring term 2020, Professor Gaughan was a U.S. Fulbright Scholar at Hanoi Law University.
Douglas Park
Visiting Research Assistant Professor
Professor Park joind the University of Akron School of Law in the spring of 2024 as a Research Fellow. He brings a wealth of experience to the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Technology.
Adjunct professors
About one dozen adjunct professors teach specialized courses such as international patent law, patent prosecution, claim construction, complex IP litigation, and other cutting-edge courses.
See all our Adjunct professors
IP Advisory Council
The Council is comprised of about three dozen IP professionals and experts seeking to advance our IP curriculum, foster relationships with businesses and law firms, and assist Akron Law IP students with their careers.
List and Bios of our IP Advisory Council members coming soon.