Ruth L. Okediji

The prize citation for Dr. Okediji’s 2023 Barry Prize reads:

A transformative legal scholar, Ruth Okediji’s scholarship has helped nations around the world grasp the revolutionary implications of a simple but powerful notion: that an idea can be someone’s property. Her signal contributions to the development of intellectual property rights in international legal systems has empowered human flourishing globally by protecting people’s right to own not only the work of their hands, but the work of their minds. The Academy honors Dr. Okediji’s distinguished contributions to humanity’s development of just laws that facilitate fair transactions so all may prosper.

Ruth L. Okediji is the Jeremiah Smith. Jr, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and co-director of the Berkman Klein Center. She has advised inter-governmental organizations, regional economic communities and national governments on a range of matters related to technology, innovation policy and development. Her widely cited scholarship on intellectual property and development has influenced government policies in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and South America. Her ideas have helped shape national strategies for the implementation of the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) and she works closely with several United Nations agencies, research centers and international organizations. She is the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in teaching, research and mentoring. She is an editor of the Journal of World Intellectual Property Law and an elected member of the American Law Institute.

November 2023