John’s work focuses on internet law, intellectual property, the internet's impact on democracy and how young people use new technologies. As a Venture Executive at Highland, John looks at internet technology opportunities that support and reinforce his mission to pioneer the development of the internet with concern to governance, privacy, intellectual property and electronic commerce.

Background
John is the Henry N. Ess III Professor of Law and a Vice Dean at Harvard Law School. He is a faculty director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, a research program founded to explore the challenges and opportunities - and to help pioneer the development - of cyberspace. He is a co-founder of several technology companies and has led investments in new syndication technologies. John is also Chairman of the Board of Top Ten Media Holdings, LLC and is on the boards of several new media companies, including Newsilike Media Group, Noank Media, and My Virtual Model.

Previously, John was a lawyer with Ropes & Gray and he also served as a Special Assistant at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency during the Clinton administration. He was a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar to the University of Cambridge; a fellow of the British-American Project; and the U.S. EPA Gold Medal (highest national award). John is admitted to the New York and Massachusetts bars.

Interests
John enthusiastically supports the study of intellectual property and internet Law. He is co-author of two books, Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives (Basic Books) and Access Denied: The Practice and Politics of Internet Filtering (MIT Press). John is a member of the board of directors of the Mass2020 Foundation.

 

Education
Harvard College, A.B., History & Literature
University of Cambridge, M.Phil.
Harvard Law School, J.D.