Affiliate Fellow

Direct Dial: (202) 834-0833
Email: vprollins@gmail.com

Vanessa Pierce Rollins joined CPIP in November of 2018 as an Affiliate Fellow. Rollins most recently served as Senior Counsel for International and Legal Affairs for the Intellectual Property Owner’s Association. During her six years with IPO, Rollins represented the association as a lead negotiator during domestic and international meetings including the TM5, ID5, IP5, and Trilateral meetings, and fact-finding trips to China, Korea, Japan, and India. Rollins specialized in intellectual property-related legislation and regulations, agreements for international trade, and issues related to international IP law harmonization, and has testified or spoken on these issues before the USPTO, USTR, and Trilateral and IP5 Offices.

Prior to joining IPO, Rollins was a full-time law school professor in Michigan at Wayne State University Law School and Ava Maria School of Law, teaching patent, copyright, trademark, and contracts courses. Rollins has written several intellectual property-related articles and lectured frequently for various organizations. Before becoming a professor, Rollins practiced intellectual property law for eight years in private practice where she assisted clients through the entire product development cycle, from the earliest decision to seek patent protection to the ultimate branding of the final product. A registered patent attorney, Rollins also has expertise in negotiating and drafting various technology transfer, licensing, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, and in procuring and enforcing all forms of intellectual property rights.

Rollins has a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Utah, honors, and her Juris Doctor (cum laude) from the University of Notre Dame Law School. She is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is an active member of the California State Bar Association.