March 01, 2023

Indigenous Data Sovereignty Symposium

Despite Indigenous Peoples’ long struggle for sovereignty over their lands, they are often excluded from conversations focused on their “data sovereignty.” In response, the Indigenous Data Sovereignty, or IDSov, movement has emerged to recognize the fundamental rights and interests of Indigenous Peoples relating to the collection, ownership and stewardship of data relating to their communities, knowledge and lands. The multifaceted nature of IDSov gives rise to a broad spectrum of legal and ethical concerns, from data storage, ownership, consent and access, to intellectual property rights and other considerations about how data are used in research, policy and practice.

Hero image for the JIPEL IDS symposium, with the title of the event and logos of the supporting organizations.

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The Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law (JIPEL) will focus their annual Spring Symposium on IDSov. The event will be held in collaboration with ENRICH, a coordinating hub for equity concerning Indigenous research and innovation, co-directed by Jane Anderson (NYU) and Māui Hudson (University of Waikato), and the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy (NYU Law).

The symposium will be organized around four panels: IDSov and Tribal Codes (Panel I), Government Agencies and IDSov (Panel II), Fair Use and IDSov (Panel III), and Labels as a Technical Protection Mechanism (Panel IV). The symposium will be hosted entirely over Zoom between two sessions (Panels I-II; March 1, 2023, Panel III-IV; March 2, 2023, Eastern Standard Time) so as to accommodate speakers from across the globe. The symposium will bring together scholars from several fields and perspectives, including Indigenous community leaders, as well as experts in law, public policy, medicine, global health, human genomics, anthropology, sociology, management and marketing. Following each of the four themed sessions, a roundtable discussion with invited speakers will be moderated by a member of the NYU law faculty.

You can read the flyer for this event here.

The panels will be:

Panel 1: IDSov and Tribal Codes (March 1, 3:00 – 4:40 pm, EST)

Round Table hosted by Carlos Andrés Baquero-Díaz, NYU School of Law

Stephanie Carroll (Dene/Ahtna), University of Arizona, Public Health, Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, and the Native Nations Institute
Libby Liggins, Massey University, Zoology and Ecology
Ibrahim Garba (Karai-Karai), University of Arizona, College of Public Health and the Native Nations Institute
Rodney Haring (Seneca Nation), Roswell Park, Center for Indigenous Cancer Research

Panel 2: Government Agencies & IDSov (March 1, 4:50 – 6:30 pm, EST)

Round Table Hosted by Jason Shultz, NYU School of Law

Christopher Chaney (Seneca-Cayuga), Deputy Director, US DOJ Office of Tribal Justice
Gwen Phillips (Ktunaxa), B.C. First Nations’ Data Governance Initiative
Bobby Saunkeah (Chickasaw), Director, Division of Research and Public Health Chair, Institutional Review Board Chickasaw Nation Department of Health
Katharina Ruckstuhl (Ngāi Tahu, Rangitāne), University of Otago Business School

Panel 3: Labels as Technical Protection Mechanisms (March 2, 3:00 – 4:40 pm, EST)

Round Table Hosted by Barton Beebe, NYU School of Law

Jane Anderson, NYU, Anthropology and Museum Studies and Engelberg Center for Innovation Law and Policy
Megan Keenan, Information Dignity Alliance
Jason Mika (Tūhoe), University of Waikato, Management & Marketing
Māui Hudson (Whakatōhea), University of Waikato, Te Kotahi Research Institute; NYU Engelberg Center for Innovation Law and Policy

Panel 4: Fair Use & IDSov (March 2, 4:50 – 6:30 pm, EST)

Round Table Hosted by Florencia Marotta-Wurgler, NYU School of Law

Krystal Tsosie (Diné/Navajo), Arizona State University, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Keolu Fox (Kānaka Maoli), UC San Diego, Anthropology, Global Health & Indigenous Futures Lab
Greg Keenan, The Digital Justice Foundation and Jain Family Institute (Digital Ethics Fellow)
Andrew Grimm (The Digital Justice Foundation)