Message from the Founding Director


Professor J. Thomas McCarthy

I am honored that USF has chosen to designate the IP Institute as the "McCarthy Institute." I am excited and intrigued by the possibilities for future study and discussion that the McCarthy Institute presents. In a real sense, the creation of this Institute is the culmination of my 35 years of teaching, research and writing.

The Institute provides an opportunity to make a real and positive contribution to the San Francisco community. No one can deny that technological change has transformed our personal lives, what we do for a living, our health care industry and the environment around us. The McCarthy Institute is dedicated to studying and searching for ways to optimize this technological development through the use of intellectual property while at the same time minimizing the negative impact of rapid technological transformation.

In addition, the Institute focuses on the impact of increasing global trade, communications and how the law can shape world trade to maximize its positive benefits to the citizens of San Francisco and the state of California. Harmonization of the disparate intellectual property laws of nations is today just a goal and a dream. Moving towards that goal can, I believe, produce real and positive benefits all around the world. Situated within sight of the Pacific Ocean, the Institute is in an ideal location to look outward towards the Asian market and the rest of the world. The McCarthy Institute is poised for a large step forward to accomplish these ambitious goals.