Elizabeth Townsend Gard

Dr. Elizabeth Townsend Gard is the John E. Koerner Endowed Professor of Law at Tulane University and the Founding Director of the Tulane Center for IP, Media & Culture. She also serves as Deputy Faculty Director for the Masters of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment Law Program. Her work bridges Intellectual Property Law, entrepreneurship, and cultural studies, with a focus on copyright, trademark, and social media law.

• Education: BA (1991), MA (1994), PhD in Modern European History (1998) from UCLA; JD/LLM in International Trade & Intellectual Property (2005) from University of Arizona Law School.

Townsend Gard specializes in intellectual property law, with a particular interest in the intersection of copyright and entrepreneurship, including digital media, pre-1972 sound recordings, and moral rights. She has pioneered projects like the Durationator®, a tool to determine global copyright status, and the podcast "Just Wanna Quilt," exploring quilting, copyright, and social entrepreneurship. Her research also extends to public health law, notably during the pandemic through mask-making initiatives.

Recent publications include works on virtual property, podcasting, and international copyright. Her scholarly efforts have been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in Golan v. Holder. Awards include the Social Entrepreneurship Fellow, Greenbaum Fellowships, and research grants from Tulane and the Paul Verkuil Faculty Research Fund.

She mentors over 90 research assistants and collaborates with students on projects like the Durationator® and the Homemade Mask Virtual Summit. Townsend Gard also co-founded the LGBTQ+ Generation Z arts collective Eyeridium and the spin-out companies Limited Times and Quilting Army Krewe, LLC.