Deborah R. Gerhardt
Paul B. Eaton Distinguished Professor of Law
Areas of Expertise
- Advertising and Marketing Law
- Art Law
- Copyright Law
- Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law
- Entrepreneurship and the Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- Trademark Law
Biography
Deborah R. Gerhardt joined the Carolina Law faculty in 2009 and serves as the Paul B. Eaton Distinguished Professor of Law. She specializes in intellectual property law, with a focus on the intersection of law and creativity. Gerhardt teaches Art Law, Copyright Law, Intellectual Property Law and Trademark Law. In 2018, Gerhardt was awarded UNC’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction. Gerhardt has written many influential essays and articles on copyright, trademark, entrepreneurship, and art law. Her current scholarship focuses on arts leadership, public memory, nontraditional trademarks, and the copyrightability of works created using artificial intelligence. From 2022- 2025, Gerhardt served as a member of the USPTO’s Trademark Public Advisory Committee. Prior to joining the faculty at UNC, Gerhardt clerked for the Honorable Judge John M. Manos in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and practiced at Jones Day Reavis & Pogue in Cleveland, Ohio.
Education
- J.D. (cum laude), Case Western Reserve University (1990)
- A.B., Duke University (1987)
Selected Publications
An Empirical Study of Gender and Race in Trademark Prosecution (with M. Marcowitz-Bitton and W. M. Schuster), 94 S. Cal. L. Rev. 1407 (2022).
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Law in the Shadows of Confederate Monuments, 27 MICH. J. RACE & L. 1 (2022).
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The Gender Gap in Academic Patenting (with M. Marcowitz-Bitton and W. M. Schuster), 56 U. C. DAVIS L. REV. 759 (2022).
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The Last Breakfast with Aunt Jemima and its Impact on Trademark Theory, 45 COLUM. J. L. & ARTS 231 (2022).
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Copyright Publication on the Internet, 60 IDEA 1 (2020).
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Beware the Trademark Echo Chamber: Why Federal Courts Should Not Defer to USPTO Decisions, 33 BERKELEY TECH. L.J. 643 (2019).
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Owning Colors (with J. M. Lee), 40 CARDOZO L. REV. 2483 (2019).
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Trademarks as Entrepreneurial Change Agents for Legal Reform, 95 N.C. L. REV. 1519 (2017).
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Consumer Investment in University Brands, 29 LOY. CONSUMER L. REV. 95 (2016).
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Copyright at the Museum: Using the Publication Doctrine to Free Art and History, 61 J. Copyright Soc'y U.S.A. 393 (2014).
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In the Media
- CPI Security, Vivint to face off in court over deceptive sales tactics claims, D. Gerhardt quoted (Fox 46)
- Michael Best’s Burgeoning Raleigh Office Continues to Grow with the Addition of Newly Appointed Of Counsel Attorney Deborah Gerhardt (Michael Best)
- D. Gerhardt talks Copyright and Choreography (New York City Bar Podcast)
- ‘It’s about democracy’: Law school deans weigh in on attacks on election results (Charlotte Observer)
- D. Gerhardt Explains Challenges of Walking Away From Offensive Trademarks (Law.com)
- As Racist Brands Fall, Will Some Try To Revive Them? D. Gerhardt Quoted (Law360)
- D. Gerhardt: Abandoning Disparaging Marks (Patently-O)
- D. Gerhardt comments on family's slaveholding defamation case (Washington Post)
- University Teaching Award Winners like Deborah Gerhardt Come with Impressive Resumes (Daily Tar Heel)
- Op Ed: D. Gerhardt Writes about Silent Sam and the Center for Civil Rights (Charlotte Observer)