Melville Nimmer
A scholar and author of leading copyright treatise
IP Hall of Fame inductee in 2006
Melville Nimmer was a distinguished professor of law at UCLA law school, where he wrote his four-volume treatise on copyright, published in 1963. This has been continuously updated since then and remains the “gold standard” scholarly resource on copyright in the US and around the world. His work is the most highly regarded non-judge-made authority on copyright in the US and is routinely cited in legal opinions issued on copyright cases in the country, including those of the US Supreme Court. As a copyright scholar, Nimmer also gained distinction as an advocate both of furthering the moral rights of authors in the US and of maintaining a balance between copyright protection and the right to free speech. If there is a giant in US copyright, it is Nimmer.