Professor Olson researches and writes primarily in the areas of patents, copyrights, antitrust, and incentives for innovation and competition. He is interested in international IP and competition law, as well as comparative law in intellectual property and antitrust. His writing has been cited in Supreme Court and other legal opinions, and he has testified before the U.S. Congress on matters of drug patents, FDA regulation, and antitrust. 

Professor Olson has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, and Reuters, among others. He has appeared as a guest panelist on WBUR’s Radio Boston, WAMU's Kojo Namdi Show, and on Public Radio Canada. His op-eds have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Times, and The Hill. Before entering academia, Professor Olson practiced law as a patent litigator, and clerked for Judge Jerry Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.