Robert Kasunic
Adjunct Professor
WCL Adjunct Faculty
Degrees
J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law 1992 B.A., Columbia University 1985
Bio
Robert J. Kasunic has been teaching copyright law for over thirty years and has been teaching the advanced seminar on copyright law at WCL since 2003. He previously taught at the Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Baltimore School of Law.
Professor Kasunic recently retired from the United States Copyright Office after twenty-five years of service. He was appointed the Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice for the United States Copyright Office in 2013 and served in that role until August 2025. In that position, he oversaw the Office of Registration Policy and Practice, which administers the U.S. copyright registration system, and he advised the Register of Copyrights on questions of registration policy, related regulations, and interpretations of the Copyright Act. He was instrumental in the creation of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition, and provided a strong foundation for a re-envisioned, user-centric copyright registration system that will become a central component of the Enterprise Copyright System. Professor Kasunic joined the U.S. Copyright Office in 2000 as a Senior Attorney in the Office of General Counsel, became a Principal Legal Advisor in 2003, and was appointed Deputy General Counsel in 2010.
Prior to arriving at the Copyright Office, he had a private practice that included successful copyright infringement litigation against the Baltimore Ravens and National Football League Properties.
Professor Kasunic is a recognized copyright expert, has published numerous law review articles, and has spoken at hundreds of copyright events. He is a past Co-Chair of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Copyright Society, former Trustee for the Copyright Society, and was a founding member of the Copyright Society’s house band, Crude, Humble, and Obvious. He was also an advisor to the development of the American Law Institute’s Restatement of Copyright Law. He earned a JD from the University of Baltimore School of Law and a BA in political science from Columbia University.
