Professor Fisher received his undergraduate degree (in American Studies) from Amherst College and his graduate degrees (J.D. and Ph.D. in the History of American Civilization) from Harvard University.
Between 1982 and 1984, he served as a law clerk to Judge Harry T. Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and then to Justice Thurgood Marshall of the United States Supreme Court.
Since 1984, he has taught at Harvard Law School, where he is currently the Hale and Dorr Professor of Intellectual Property Law and the Director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society.
His academic honors include a Danforth Postbaccalaureate Fellowship (1978-1982) and a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, California (1992-1993).
Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Science, University of Quebec/Montreal & Gründer des CogPrints Eprint-Archivs und der Eprint Selbstarchivierungs-Initiative, Southampton University
Workshop in Political Theory & Policy Analysis, Indiana University; Information Officer, International Association for the Study of Common Property & Director, Digital Library of the Commons, Bloomington, Indiana
Director (joint), Centre for Intellectual Property Policy & Management & Professor of Information Jurisprudence, School of Finance & Law, Bournemouth University