William F. Patry

Bill Patry is a renowned expert on copyright law who has served as Senior Copyright Counsel to Google Inc. for the last 13 years, where he is involved in diverse cutting edge issues. He has practiced copyright law for 35 years, more than 12 years of which have been in private practice, including appellate advocacy. He has been cited 11 times in landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, and almost 600 times by lower courts.

As a full-time law professor for five years and an adjunct for another five at the Georgetown University Law Center, Mr. Patry appreciates the importance of teaching and scholarship. From his seven years in working in the U.S. House of Representatives and Copyright Office, Patry is familiar with the nitty-gritty of legislation and the broader policy issues that Congress considers. He has testified before Congress and retained as an expert witness on numerous occasions. He was also appointed an expert to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals by a panel of that court in the first copyright choice of law opinion, with the resulting panel opinion following his opinion and praising his scholarship and assistance.

Patry is the author of numerous law review articles and several books. The staying power of his scholarship is seen in a 2019 court opinion citing a 1981 article he wrote. He also served as editor or editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA for over ten years.

Titles by This Author