Intellectual Property, Contract, and Procurement Law
IP RIGHTS & GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
APRIL 17, 2026
This symposium addresses critical gaps in legal scholarship on intellectual property rights in government contracting, where national security, constitutional protections, and private innovation intersect. As government reliance on private contractors increases, fundamental questions arise, such as: how do government agencies and private contractors share intellectual property rights? When do IP protections obstruct transparency in technologies affecting rights to repair critical equipment or constitutional rights? This symposium assembles distinguished legal academics and military acquisition experts to explore these complex challenges and inform the public discourse on government contracting and transparency.
Hosted by Professor Elizabeth Rowe at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Purchase the print version of the symposium volume here.
TRADE SECRECY & THE GOVERNMENT’S RIGHT TO REPAIR
Elizabeth A. Rowe & Harrison E. Kearby
Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation Professor of Law, Co-Director Center on Intellectual Property, University of Virginia School of Law; J.D. Candidate 2026, University of Virginia School of Law
THE (ANTI-) DEFICIENT RIGHT TO REPAIR: HOW DATA-AS-A-SERVICE FAILS TO ACCOUNT FOR APPROPRIATIONS LAW
Jason Floyd
Judge Advocate and Associate Professor at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS)
A LOOK BACK ON THE FOUNDATIONS OF GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN THE NEW ERA OF “AMERICA FIRST IP'“ IDEOLOGY, POLICY, AND LEGISLATION
Danielle M. Conway
Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law and Penn State School of International Affairs
FREEDOM TO TINKER WITH TRADE SECRETS
David S. Levine
Professor of Law, Elon University School of Law
INNOVATION INTERRUPTED: LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL RISKS OF UNDERMINING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
Jennifer S. Fan & Xuan-Thao Nguyen
Therese Maynard Chair in Business Law and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs, LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles; Pendleton Miller Chair in Law, University of Washington School of Law
PROSPECTING FOR PROGRESS
Andrea M. Matwyshyn
Professor of Law and Engineering Policy at Penn State Dickinson Law, Professor in SEDI at Penn State Engineering, Founding Director of the Penn State Policy Innovation Lab of Tomorrow
A PUBLIC TRUST THEORY OF GOVERNMENT INFORMATION
Sharon K.Sandeen
Professor of Law and Robins Kaplan LLC Distinguished Professor of IP Law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law