Daniel Gervais

Daniel J. Gervais is a leading authority on intellectual property law, holding the Milton R. Underwood Chair in Law at Vanderbilt University Law School. He serves as director of the Vanderbilt Intellectual Property Program and co-director of the LL.M. Program. Gervais is recognized for his expertise in copyright law, international intellectual property law, and the law of artificial intelligence, contributing to both scholarship and policy in these areas.

Before entering academia, Gervais worked at the intersection of law and global trade policy. He spent 10 years addressing policy issues as a legal officer at the World Trade Organization, head of the Copyright Projects section of the World Intellectual Property Organization, deputy secretary general of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, and vice-chair of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations. He also practiced law as a partner with the technology law firm BCF in Montreal and served as a consultant with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris. Prior to joining Vanderbilt University, Gervais was a full professor, University Research Chair, and Osler Professor of Intellectual Property at the University of Ottawa Common Law Section, where he also served as vice-dean (research) and acting dean.

Gervais is the author of 15 books, 70 book chapters, and more than 90 articles, and the editor of 11 books. His works include "Forever," the first volume of "The Coexistence Trilogy," which explores legal and ethical aspects of artificial intelligence, and "The TRIPS Agreement: Drafting History and Analysis," a guide to the text governing international intellectual property rights. He also released "(Re)Structuring Copyright: A Comprehensive Path to International Copyright Reform," which proposes an overhaul of international copyright rules. His article, "The Machine as Author," published in Iowa Law Review, examines whether AI-generated works should receive copyright protection.

Gervais was the first North American law professor admitted to the Academy of Europe. He held a Distinguished Fulbright Chair at Carleton University and is a member of the American Law Institute, serving as associate reporter on the Restatement of the Law, Copyright Project. He also became chairman of the International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property. Gervais has been a visiting professor at several international universities, a visiting scholar at Stanford Law School, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Amsterdam.

With expertise in copyright reform, artificial intelligence and authorship, international trade agreements, and the global intellectual property system, Gervais is a recognized voice on legal questions in the digital age. He has served as editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed Journal of World Intellectual Property. His work is cited by courts and policymakers worldwide, and he is known for translating complex legal frameworks into accessible analysis for legal professionals, policymakers, business leaders, and technologists.