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Key people at Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic.
The Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic is a Washington, D.C.-based legal training program that provides pro bono intellectual property representation to individual creators, small businesses, and non-profit institutions. Operating within the American University Washington College of Law, the clinic enables law students to gain practical experience in client counseling, transactional work, litigation, and advocacy across copyright, patent, and trademark matters. The organization is officially certified under the USPTO Law School Clinic Certification Program, allowing participating students to practice directly before the federal agency. The clinic's operations are supported by philanthropic funding, primarily driven by foundational donations from technology and legal scholars Pamela Samuelson and Robert Glushko, alongside faculty like Matthew Williams. The Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic was initially conceptualized in 1999 and formally established in 2001 by founders Peter Jaszi and Victoria Phillips.
The Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic is not a company or investment firm but a law school clinic at American University Washington College of Law (WCL), providing pro bono intellectual property (IP) legal services to promote the public interest.[1][2][3] It trains law students through hands-on representation of individual creators, small businesses, non-profits, and communities in copyright, patent, trademark, and related matters, emphasizing skills like client counseling, litigation, transactional work, and policy advocacy.[1][2] Operating as a full-year program for its 24th year in 2025-2026, it is funded by a donation from Robert Glushko and Pam Samuelson, focusing on clients unable to afford market-rate services.[1][2][5]
Established through a generous donation from Robert Glushko, an inventor, entrepreneur, and professor at UC Berkeley's School of Information, and Pam Samuelson, a leading information policy scholar jointly appointed at Berkeley's School of Information and Law School, the clinic integrates into WCL's acclaimed clinical program.[1][5] It emerged as part of a broader network of Glushko-Samuelson-funded IP and tech law clinics at institutions like Fordham, Colorado Law, and others, addressing gaps in public interest IP representation for underserved creators and entrepreneurs.[4][5][6] Key evolution includes expanding from individual client work to policy advocacy, such as amicus briefs and legislative efforts, with supervising faculty like Director Professor Victoria Phillips, Practitioner-in-Residence Matthew Williams, and Adjunct Patent Supervisor David Grossman.[2]
The clinic rides the wave of rapidly evolving IP challenges in tech-driven innovation, where AI, digital content, and startups amplify tensions between creator rights and public access.[1][2][6] Its timing aligns with USPTO's student practice rules and rising demand for affordable IP services amid economic pressures on small entities, filling voids left by high-cost private counsel.[6] Market forces like increasing patent filings, copyright disputes in streaming/media, and policy debates on tech accessibility favor its model, influencing the ecosystem by empowering startups, non-profits, and creators to navigate IP barriers and advocate for reforms.[2][5][6]
With its 24th year underway in 2025-2026, the clinic is poised to tackle emerging IP frontiers like AI-generated works and biotech patents, leveraging its policy advocacy to shape regulations.[2] Trends such as global tech policy shifts and USPTO pro bono expansions will amplify its reach, potentially through expanded networks with sister Glushko-Samuelson clinics.[5][6] Its influence may evolve by producing alumni who drive public interest IP reform in firms, agencies, and startups, sustaining its role as a talent pipeline and equity force in tech law—correcting the misconception of it as a company by highlighting its vital, non-commercial impact.
Key people at Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic.
