Daniel R. Cahoy
Professor, Department Head of Risk Management
Department Risk Management
Office Address 355 Business Building
Phone Number
814-865-4172
Email Address
drc13@psu.edu
Daniel R. Cahoy
Professor, Department Head of Risk Management
Department Risk Management
Office Address 355 Business Building
Phone Number
814-865-4172
Email Address
drc13@psu.edu
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. 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 George Mason's Center for Intellectual Property and Innovation Policy. 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, 1998
BA, Biology, The University of Iowa, 1991
Courses Taught
BLAW 341 – Business Law I (3)
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.
AMD 500 – Legal Issues in AM (2)
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.
BLAW 445 – Adv Intel Prop (3)
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 (Variable)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
AMD 597 – Special Topics (2)
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
BLAW 525 – Buslaw Innov and Com (2)
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.
BLAW 499 – Foreign Studies (3)
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
BLAW 424 – Real Estate Law (3)
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.
RM 424 – Real Estate Law (3)
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.
B LAW 341 – Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property (3)
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 445 – Advanced Intellectual Property and Competition Law (3)
Copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets followed by related topics in the regulation of competition.
B LAW 525 – Business Law for Innovation and Competition (2)
Nature of intellectual property rights, as well as process for obtaining and enforcing them.
B LAW 596 – Individual Studies (Variable)
Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
B LAW 499 – Foreign Studies (Variable)
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
B LAW 494H – Research Project (Variable)
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
B LAW 399 – Foreign Studies (Variable)
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
B A 536 – Global Immersion (variable)
Exploration of the opportunities and the challenges of doing business in another economic region.
B LAW 496 – Independent Studies (variable)
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
B A 241 – Legal Environment of Business (2)
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 LAW 597B – Business Law for Innovation and Competition (2)
Teach students the basic nature of IP rights as well as the process for obtaining and enforcing them.
B A 596 – Individual Studies (variable)
Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
B LAW 346 – Agency, Employment & Business Structure (3)
An examination of the laws governing agency relationships, employment, and the various structures of commercial enterprises.
Selected Publications
Research Impact and Media Mentions
Editorships
Advisory Editor-in-Chief of premier, peer-reviewed business law academic journal
Editor-in-Chief of premier, peer-reviewed business law academic journal
Articles Editor and Managing Editor of premier, peer-reviewed business law academic journal