Professor Jane C. Ginsburg Elected to American Philosophical Society
Ginsburg is a Leading Intellectual Property Scholar and Advocate for Author's Rights
New York, May 3, 2013—Columbia Law School Professor Jane C. Ginsburg, a leading scholar on intellectual property law, comparative law, private international law, and legal methods, was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society (APS) at the organization’s annual spring meeting.
The APS, the oldest learned society in the United States, is unusual in that its membership is composed of top scholars from a wide variety of academic disciplines. Membership is entirely honorary and reflects extraordinary accomplishments in one of five classes: mathematical and physical sciences; biological sciences; social sciences; humanities; and the arts, professions, and public and private affairs.
Ginsburg, the Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law, was elected to the social sciences class. She is Faculty Director of the Law School’s Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts, which contributes to a broader understanding of the legal aspects of creative works of authorship, including their dissemination and use.
Fluent in French and Italian, Ginsburg has been a visiting professor or fellow at a number of distinguished educational institutions, including the University of Paris, the University of Cambridge, the University of Auckland, Hebrew University, and the University of Melbourne.
In addition to her role as a professor, Ginsburg has published many works, including three casebooks and numerous articles on domestic and international copyright law. She is also a vice president of the Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale, a Paris-based international organization created to promote and defend authors’ rights, and president of that organization’s U.S. chapter.
According to APS, her membership creates what may be the first mother-daughter membership in the group’s history. Jane Ginsburg’s mother, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’59, was elected a member in 2006.
Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, the American Philosophical Society honors and engages distinguished scientists, humanists, social scientists, and leaders in civic and cultural affairs . It promotes useful knowledge in science and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach.