Dan Cahoy is the Head of the Risk Management Department, which includes faculty specializing in actuarial science, business economics, business law, international business, real estate and risk and insurance. He is also the Robert G. and Caroline Schwartz Professor and Professor of Business Law. His personal specialty is in the teaching and research of intellectual property law, as well as general business law concepts. He has published numerous articles in academic law journals on topics such as IP and sustainable energy innovation, trademarks and sustainable upcycling, business and human rights, FDA regulatory policy, reforming the U.S. patent system, and the use of experimental economics to improve jury studies. Professor Cahoy served on the Editorial Board of the peer-reviewed American Business Law Journal from 2005-2010, including as the Editor-in-Chief, and is a Past President of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business (ALSB). He was a Fulbright Scholar in 2009, serving as the Visiting Fulbright Chair in International Humanitarian Law at the University of Ottawa. He is currently a Senior Scholar at the Intellectual Property Policy Institute. In 2021, Professor Cahoy was awarded the Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching, Penn State’s highest award for tenured faculty members engaged in undergraduate instruction. He is also a recipient of the ALSB's Kay Duffy Memorial Award for Extraordinary Service to the Academy.
Expertise
Professor Cahoy's current research concerns issues such as optimal business strategy in the face of disparate global intellectual property regimes and the intersection of intellectual property enforcement and human rights and sustainability. In general, he has an interest in pursuing projects related to the legal and regulatory rules that create economic incentives for desirable business behavior. Professor Cahoy is well known for his work on pharmaceutical patents and government incursions related to increasing access to medicines. He is a patent attorney, licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is admitted to the New York State Bar and several federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Education
JD, The University of New Hampshire, Concord, NH, 1998-05-01 BA in Biology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1991-01-01
Courses Taught
AMD 500 – Legal Issues in AM
This course explores the legal rules related to the ownership, enforcement and management of information related to additive manufacturing. It is directed primarily to students working in fields outside of the legal profession. Primary areas of focus include intellectual property ("IP") law (patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets), product liability and cybersecurity law, as well as the legal rules for related industry practices such as licensing. In addition to understanding the legal framework, students will apply the course teachings to develop managerial skills such as: understanding legal contracts and license agreements; protecting company secrets; developing invention and design rights; branding distinctive products and services; designing products in light of tort liability rules; and adhering to best data protection practices.
AMD 597 – Special Topics
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
B A 241 – Legal Environment of Business
Examines the legal system's role and impact regarding business transactions, liability issues, and ownership of intellectual property. Students earning credit for B A 241 may not earn credit toward Smeal College baccalaureate degree for B Law 243 and/or B
B A 536 – Global Immersion
Exploration of the opportunities and the challenges of doing business in another economic region.
B A 596 – Individual Studies
Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
B LAW 341 – Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property
An introduction to the business environment emphasizing business contracts, liability issues arising from business relations, including those in the internet realm and intellectual property issues. Alternative dispute resolution and global perspectives wi
B LAW 341 – Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property
An introduction to the business environment emphasizing business contracts, liability issues arising from business relations, including those in the internet realm and intellectual property issues. Alternative dispute resolution and global perspectives wi
B LAW 346 – Agency, Employment & Business Structure
An examination of the laws governing agency relationships, employment, and the various structures of commercial enterprises.
B LAW 399 – Foreign Studies
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
B LAW 445 – Advanced Intellectual Property and Competition Law
Copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets followed by related topics in the regulation of competition.
B LAW 494H – Research Project (H)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
B LAW 496 – Independent Studies
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
B LAW 499 – Foreign Studies
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
B LAW 525 – Business Law for Innovation and Competition
Nature of intellectual property rights, as well as process for obtaining and enforcing them.
B LAW 596 – Individual Studies
Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
B LAW 597B – Business Law for Innovation and Competition (B)
Teach students the basic nature of IP rights as well as the process for obtaining and enforcing them.
BA 580 – DBA Culminating Res Project
This course provides Doctorate of Business Administration students with the opportunity to identify a practice problem or clinical question and investigate the literature related to this selected area of interest. Students will develop and implement a comprehensive project to address the problem. Students will also disseminate the results in both a scholarly presentation and manuscript for publication.
BLAW 341 – Business Law I
An introduction to the business environment emphasizing business contracts, liability issues arising from business relations, including those in the internet realm and intellectual property issues. Alternative dispute resolution and global perspectives will be integrated throughout. B LAW 341 Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property (3) Business decisions have legal consequences. Such decisions can represent both legal risks and opportunities. It is important for one entering business to have a fundamental understanding of the governing legal principles. This course will provide an introduction to the U.S. legal system, coverage of the major components of contract law, and an examination of business liability issues under tort law. In addition, the intellectual property issues of trade secrets, trademarks, patents, and copyrights will be covered. The impact of digital technology and business globalization will be integrated into each topic discussed. The course will be taught in a lecture-discussion format to encourage interaction and exploration of difficult issues. The course text and materials will include key business legal cases.
BLAW 424 – Real Estate Law
Analyze contemporary law applicable to various types of ownership interests and rights, methods of transferring ownership, and use of real property. B LAW 424 B LAW (R M) 424 Real Estate Law (3) Analysis of contemporary law applicable to various types of ownership interests and rights, methods of transferring ownership, and use of real property. The objectives for this course are: (1) to provide students with an understanding of essential U.S. real estate property law, including the rights private property owners may obtain, how ownership and transfer are handled in view of present and future interests, constitutional issues that impact real estate ownership, and the legal aspects of modern real estate contractual transactions; (2) to teach students the ability to spot the legal issues arising from the above as future business leaders and (3) to introduce students to the legal reasoning process necessary to address and avoid the legal dilemmas presented by such issues. Instructional methods for the course will include detailed lectures and classroom discussion of readings and other materials. Student progress and mastery of the material will be evaluated through periodic examinations.
BLAW 445 – Adv Intel Prop
Copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets followed by related topics in the regulation of competition. B LAW 445 Intellectual Property & Competition Law (3) The objectives for this course are to (1) provide students with an understanding of U.S. and international law that supports the creation of beneficial information via intellectual property rights, allows government to regulate information property through antitrust and privacy statutes, and promotes business development by encouraging competitive uses of information; (2) teach students the ability to spot the legal issues arising from the above as future business leaders and (3) introduce students to the legal reasoning process necessary to address and avoid the legal dilemmas presented by such issues. Instructional methods for the course will include detailed lectures and classroom discussion of readings and other materials. The course builds on the introductory business law curriculum by providing an advanced and detailed study of specific areas of law that are highly valuable to modern, technology-driven businesses.
BLAW 494H – Research Project (H)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
BLAW 496 – Indep Studies
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
BLAW 499 – Foreign Studies
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
BLAW 525 – Buslaw Innov and Com
Nature of intellectual property rights, as well as process for obtaining and enforcing them. B LAW 525 Business Law for Innovation & Competition (2)Primary areas of focus include intellectual property ("IP") law (patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets) and antitrust law, as well as basic principles of U.S. law and the legal rules for related industry practices such as licensing. Students will also learn the legal rules designed to encourage competition (and punish anticompetitive behavior). Finally, the course will help students to better appreciate when professional legal counsel is necessary, and how to manage those interactions more cost effectively. Although the course will impart advanced legal concepts, prior coursework in business law is not required.
IB 404 – Contemp Issues I B
Investigation of issues in international business practice interpreted from the foundations of the social sciences. Topics will be chosen from contemporary issues in global business and economics. I B 404 Contemporary Issues in International Business (3) I B 404 enables students to study the most current topics in international and global business from the framework of the social science issues that form the framework for understanding, business decisions. The course provides structured experiences in library research and data gathering, techniques, and builds the habit of reading the international business press daily and analyzing it weekly. The class is typically organized around 3 integrative business topics that represent a spectrum of questions important to business. These include questions about finance and economics in international business, questions about people and organizations in an international environment, and questions about products (development, production, distribution of goods and services) in international business contexts. This is not an introductory course, and as such, the topics chosen should be substantive and nuanced. For example, one topic might be how the structure of franchises must be modified to reflect the property rights in a particular country, and how those property rights laws impact the value of the franchise. The second topic might be how the internationalization of the structure and role of Boards of Directors in multinational firms contribute to globalization, and challenge the cultural norms in those organizations The third topic might be how North American firms have been forced to adjust their product packaging, in response to environmental impact laws in Germany, and how this shifts the locus of the product message from point-of-purchase to alternative media.
RM 424 – Real Estate Law
Analyze contemporary law applicable to various types of ownership interests and rights, methods of transferring ownership, and use of real property. B LAW 424 B LAW (R M) 424 Real Estate Law (3) Analysis of contemporary law applicable to various types of ownership interests and rights, methods of transferring ownership, and use of real property. The objectives for this course are: (1) to provide students with an understanding of essential U.S. real estate property law, including the rights private property owners may obtain, how ownership and transfer are handled in view of present and future interests, constitutional issues that impact real estate ownership, and the legal aspects of modern real estate contractual transactions; (2) to teach students the ability to spot the legal issues arising from the above as future business leaders and (3) to introduce students to the legal reasoning process necessary to address and avoid the legal dilemmas presented by such issues. Instructional methods for the course will include detailed lectures and classroom discussion of readings and other materials. Student progress and mastery of the material will be evaluated through periodic examinations.
Selected Publications
Weiser H., Cahoy D. R. "Ethical Edibles" University of Richmond Law Review, vol. 60, 2026-02-06
Weiser H. R., Cahoy D. R. "Joke or Counterfeit: Balancing Trademark Parody and Consumer Safety in the Edibles Market" American Business Law Journal, vol. 61, 2025-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Oswald L. J. "Navigating Incomplete Harmonization: Businesses and the Utility Model Environment" Sub-Patent Innovation Rights: Utility Models, Petty Patents and Innovation Patents Around the World, 2025-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Contreras J. L., Oswald L. J. "Overview of Worldwide Utility Model Filings, Litigation and Activity" Sub-Patent Innovation Rights: Utility Models, Petty Patents and Innovation Patents Around the World, 2025-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "The Techno-Optimist Case for Addressing Sustainability and its Grounding in Capitalist (Market) Incentives" Sustainable Capitalism: A Contradiction in Terms or Essential Work for the Anthropocene?, 2024-11-01
Cahoy D. R. "Trademark's Grip Over Sustainability" University of Colorado Law Review, vol. 94, 2023-05-01
Cahoy D. R., Park S. K., Scott I. "The Changing Faces of Business Law and Sustainability" American Business Law Journal, vol. 59, 2022-12-01
Cahoy D. R., Oswald L. J. "Is Legal Harmonization Always Better? The Counter-Case of Utility Models" American Business Law Journal, vol. 58, 2021-06-01
Cahoy D. R., Murphy T. H. "The Name Game: Merging the Business and Law of Trademarks" Journal of Legal Studies Education, vol. 38, 2021-02-01
Pagnattaro M., Cahoy D. R., Magid J. "The Legal and Regulatory Environment of Business (19th Ed)" 2021-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Oswald L. J. "A Serendipitous Experiment in Percolation of Intellectual Property Doctrine" Indiana Law Journal, vol. 95, 2020-03-01
Cahoy D. R. "Patently Uncertain" Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, vol. 17, 2019-11-01
Cahoy D. R. "Intellectual property exchanges and auctions: non-traditional mechanisms for technology transfer" Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer,, 2019-06-01
Cahoy D. R., Oswald L. J. "Complexity and Idiosyncrasy at the Federal Circuit" Columbia Science and Technology Law Review, 2018-05-01
Cahoy D. R., Lei Z., Meng Y., Blumsack S. A. "Global Patent Chokepoints" Stanford Technology Law Journal, vol. 20, 2017-07-01
Hayter C. S., Cahoy D. R. "Toward a Strategic View of University Social Responsibilities: A Dynamic Capabilities Approach" Strategic Organization, 2016-12-01
Cahoy D. R., Oswald L. "Are Trade Secrets a Weak Link in Your Supply Chain" Inside Supply Chain Management, 2016-04-01
Cahoy D. R., Kwasnica A. M., Lopez L. "The Role of Auctions in University Intellectual Property Transactions" Duquesne Law Review, vol. 54, 2016-04-01
Cahoy D. R. "Toward a Fair Social Use Framework for University Intellectual Property" Journal of College and University Law, vol. 41, 2015-10-01
Bird R. C., Cahoy D. R. "Human Rights, Technology and Food: Coordinating Acccess adn Innovation for 2050 and Beyond" American Business Law Journal, vol. 52, 2015-04-01
Cahoy D. R. "Feeding the World Beyond 2050: A Coordinated Approach to Preserving Agricultural Innovation and the Human Right to Food" Law, Business and Human Rights: Bridging the Gap, 2014-07-01
Cahoy D. R., Colburn J. E. "Law and the Transition to Business Sustainability" 2014-07-01
Bird R. C., Cahoy D. R., Prenkert J. D. "Law, Business and Human Rights: Bridging the Gap" Forthcoming 2014, 2014-07-01
Bird R. C., Cahoy D. R., Dhooge L. J. "Corporate Voluntarism and Liability for Human Rights in a Post-Kiobel World" Kentucky Law Journal, vol. 102, 2014-04-01
Cahoy D. R., Gehman J., Lei Z. "Fracking Patents: The Emergence of Patents as Information Containment Tools in Shale Drilling" Michigan Telecommunications and Technology Law Review, 2013-10-01
Bubela T., Gold E., Graff G. D., Cahoy D. R., Nicol D., Castle D. "Patent Landscaping for Life Sciences Innovation: Toward Consistent and Transparent Practices" Nature Biotechnology, vol. 31, 2013-07-01
Cahoy D. R., Oswald L. "The Changing Face of American Patent Law and Its Impact on Business" 2013-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Gehman J., Lei Z. "The Transformation of Patents into Information Containment Tools" The Changing Face of American Patent Law and Its Impact on Business, 2013-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Inverse Enclosure: Abdicating the Green Technology Landscape" American Business Law Journal, vol. 49, 2012-12-01
Cahoy D. R. "Breaking Patents" Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 32, 2011-01-01
Glenna L. L., Cahoy D. R. "Agribusiness Concentration, Intellectual Property, and the Prospects for Rural Economic Benefits from the Emerging Biofuel Economy" Southern Rural Sociology, vol. 24, 2009-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Glenna L. L. "Private Ordering and Public Energy Innovation Policy" Florida State University Law Review, vol. 36, 2009-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Addressing the North-South Divide in Pharmaceutical Counterfeiting" Wake Forest Intellectual Property Law Journal, vol. 8, 2008-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Bird R. C. "The Impact of compulsory licensing on foreign direct investment: A collective bargaining approach." American Business Law Journal, vol. 45, 2008-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Bird R. C. "The vulnerability of middle developed countries to changes in foreign direct investment arising from intellectual property appropriation." International Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, 2008-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Confronting myths and myopia on the road from Doha" Georgia Law Review, vol. 42, 2007-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Bird R. C. "The Emerging BRIC Economies: Lessons from Intellectual Property Negotiation and Enforcement." Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property, vol. 5, 2007-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Ding M. "Method of Reducing Hypothetical Bias in Jury Studies" US 2006/0036464 A1, 2006-02-16
Cahoy D. R. "An Incrementalist Approach to Patent Reform Policy" New York University Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, vol. 9, 2006-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Medical Product Information Incentives and the Transparency Paradox" Indiana Law Journal, vol. 82, 2006-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Ding M. "The Stakes Matter: Empirical Evidence of Hypothetical Bias in Case Evalation and the Curative Power of Economic Incentives" St. John's Law Review, vol. 80, 2006-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Patent Fences and Constitutional Fence Posts: Property Barriers to Pharmaceutical Importation" Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal, vol. 15, 2005-01-01
Cahoy D. R., Ding M. "Using Experimental Economics to Peek into the “Black Box” of Jury Behavior: A Proposal for Jury Research Reform" Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal, vol. 14, 2004-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Changing the Rules in the Middle of the Game: How the Prospective Application of Judicial Determinations Related to Intellectual Property can Promote Economic Efficiency" American Business Law Journal, vol. 41, 2003-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Efficient Breach as a Relief to the Burden of Contractual Recapture of Patent and Copyright Limitations" Harvard Journal of Law and Technology, vol. 17, 2003-01-01
Cahoy D. R. "Treating the Legal Side Effects of Cipro®: A Reevaluation of Compensation Rules for Government Takings of Patent Rights" American Business Law Journal, vol. 40, 2002-01-01
Honors and Awards
Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR) Top 20 Article, Environmental Law Institute and Vanderbilt Law School, (2025-01-01)
Undergraduate Student Teaching Excellence Award, Smeal College of Business, (2023-07-31)
Senior Scholar, George Mason Center for Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy (CIP2), (2022-09-30)
Academic Leadership Program, Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA), (2022-09-01)
Outstanding Article Award, Journal of Legal Studies in Eduction (JLSE), Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2021-08-31)
Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Pennsylvania State University, (2021-04-26)
Charles M. Hewitt Master Teacher Competition (Finalist), Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2019-08-31)
Kay Duffy Memorial Award for Extraordinary Service to the ALSB., Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2019-08-31)
Thomas Edison Innovation Fellowship, Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, (2018-03-01)
Dean's Faculty Fellow in Business Law, Smeal College of Business, (2012-12-31)
Fulbright Chair in International Humanitarian Law, U.S. Department of State, (2009-08-15)
Holmes-Cardozo Award for Outstanding Conference Paper, Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2007-08-31)
Junior Faculty Award of Excellence, Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2007-08-31)
Ralph J. Bunche Best Paper Award, International Section, Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2007-08-31)
Outstanding Paper Award, Mid-Atlantic Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2005-03-31)
Ralph C. Hoeber Award for Excellence in Research, American Business Law Journal, Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2003-08-31)
Outstanding Paper for Junior Faculty Award, Mid-Atlantic Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2003-03-31)
Holmes-Cardozo Award for Outstanding Conference Paper, Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2002-08-31)
Outstanding Paper for Junior Faculty Award, Mid-Atlantic Academy of Legal Studies in Business, (2002-03-31)