Bernard Chao

Bernard Chao

Professor of Law & Maxine Kurtz Research Scholar

Co-Director, Intellectual Property and Technology Law Program

Specialization(s)

Contracts, Intellectual Property, Patent Law, Privacy Law

Professional Biography

Bernard Chao is a professor of law and co-director of the law school’s Intellectual Property and Technology Program. His scholarship spans several substantive areas, including patent law, privacy law, remedies, and jury decision-making. He frequently applies empirical methods and engages in comparative legal analysis. Recent work has addressed U.S.–European differences in drug patenting and data protection law. Professor Chao’s writings have been recognized with the Samsung-Stanford Patent Prize and included in West/Thomson’s annual Intellectual Property Law and Patent Law Reviews. He has authored several amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court in collaboration with the Harvard Cyberlaw Clinic and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, among others. His articles have appeared in both leading law reviews such as the California Law Review and Northwestern University Law Review, as well as peer-reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and the American Business Law Journal.

Prior to joining the University of Denver, Professor Chao practiced law in Silicon Valley for almost twenty years. At Wilson, Sonsini and Pennie & Edmonds, Professor Chao litigated high stakes patent cases. At Covad Communications, he served as the Vice President of Legal Strategy as the company grew from a small broadband startup to a public company. Professor Chao has also advised federal judges as a court appointed Special Master, most notably, in the largest patent multidistrict litigation in U.S. history, In Re Katz Interactive Call Processing Patent Litigation.

View CV

Degree(s)

  • JD, Duke University School of Law
  • BS, Electrical Engineering Purdue University

Licensure / Accreditations

  • Registered with the Patent and Trademark Office
  • Active Member of California Bar

Featured Publications


Peer Review
Law Review