The University of New Hampshire School of Law and its Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property (FPCIP) will welcome Ryan Vacca as a member of the faculty in Fall 2017. Vacca is currently the David L. Brennan Professor of Law at The University of Akron School of Law, where he is also serving as the Interim Co-Dean and Director of the Center for Intellectual Property Law & Technology.
“Ryan will be a tremendous addition to the UNH Law community,” said Jordan Budd, Interim Dean of UNH Law. “His combination of excellence in the classroom and experience in practice aligns fully with our philosophy, and he will no doubt be an outstanding teacher and mentor to our students.”
Vacca’s research in intellectual property is diverse, covering a broad range of topics that include 3D printing, genetically-modified food, patent reform efforts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, empirical studies, the music industry, and healthcare.
He also has been frequently asked to present his research, speaking in front of lawyers, judges, and policymakers as well as at a variety of academic conferences throughout the country.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the UNH Law faculty,” Vacca said. “The ability to work with such an outstanding group of scholars, teachers, and students is an incredible opportunity. I look forward to bringing my enthusiasm for teaching and research to UNH and helping the law school and students further distinguish themselves.”
Vacca has experience teaching a plethora of IP courses, including Fundamentals of IP, Patents, Copyrights, Trade Secrets, Trademarks, Contracts, and Property, among others. Prior to joining Akron Law, he was a visiting professor at the University of Oregon School of Law and the University of Denver College of Law.
Prior to entering academia, Vacca was an attorney at the law firm of Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP (now Stinson Leonard Street) in St. Louis, Missouri, where he specialized in intellectual property and products liability.
“I’m thrilled to have Professor Vacca join the UNH Law faculty,” said Ann Bartow, Director of the Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property and Professor of Law. “He will strengthen our already excellent Patent Law program and help us broaden our IP curriculum with his expertise in trade secrets and other areas of internet law and intellectual property law. He also brings an outstanding portfolio of nationally-recognized scholarship, which we expect he will expand upon in the future.”
Vacca received his B.A. from Amherst College, his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law (Order of the Coif), and his LL.M. in Intellectual Property from New York University School of Law.
