Brian L. Frye

Brian L. Frye is a professor of law at Tulane University Law School. His research focuses on intellectual property, art law, charity law, legal history, and the legal profession, with particular emphasis on copyright and trademark law as they affect artists and cultural institutions.

Before joining Tulane in 2026, Frye spent 14 years on the faculty of the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law, where he was the Spears-Gilbert Professor of Law. He previously served as a visiting assistant professor at Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law and practiced as an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York.

Frye clerked for Judge Andrew J. Kleinfeld of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit and Justice Richard B. Sanders of the Washington Supreme Court. He has published more than 100 scholarly articles on subjects including copyright, trademark, patent law, the right of publicity, nonprofit organizations, constitutional law, and legal ethics.

Frye is also an artist and filmmaker. He co-produced the 2013 documentary “Our Nixon,” which premiered at SXSW and was broadcast on CNN, and his work has appeared in the Whitney Biennial and the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. He also provides pro bono legal assistance to artists and arts organizations.

Frye earned a J.D. from New York University School of Law, an M.F.A. from the San Francisco Art Institute, and a bachelor’s from the University of California, Berkeley.