Call for Speaking Proposals: ITechLaw 2027 World Technology Law Conference, Vancouver, Canada (12-14 May 2027)

The International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw) describes itself as the leading international technology law association for legal professionals focused on technology and law. It has served the technology law community worldwide since 1971 and has a global membership base representing six continents and spanning more than 70 countries.

Led by a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee, ITechLaw informs and educates lawyers about the legal issues arising from the evolution, production, marketing, acquisition and use of information and communications technology. It runs worldwide technology law conferences in North America, Europe and India, alongside committees, webinars and publications such as the Startup Legal Playbook and the Responsible AI series. The association is administered from Beaverton, Oregon, United States.

The 2027 World Technology Law Conference will be held from 12 to 14 May 2027 at the JW Marriott Parq Vancouver in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ITechLaw describes the hotel as positioned between the waterfront and Vancouver's iconic venues, steps from BC Place Stadium and Rogers Arena, with the neighbourhoods of Yaletown and Granville Island close by. More information on hotel reservations is to be shared in the coming months.

ITechLaw states plainly that this conference is set to be an in-person event and that all speakers should feel comfortable speaking in person. Sessions are typically 60 minutes in length, with up to three concurrent sessions running at a time.

ITechLaw has also posted a warning on the conference page that scam messages from a purported "Reservation Team" offering discounted guestrooms are not from ITechLaw and that the links in those emails should not be clicked.

ITechLaw invites thought leaders and practitioners to share their expertise with the global technology law community. The call is open, and proposals are submitted through a public Oxford Abstracts portal for which any submitter may create an account or sign in with an existing Google or LinkedIn account. Preference in selection is, however, expressly given to proposals made by ITechLaw members and to those that focus on advanced knowledge of a topic.

The following speaker policy governs every proposal:

• A speaker may not speak at two conferences in a row in a particular geographic region, for example two European Conferences in a row. Exceptions to this rule may be allowed.
• Planning Committee members may not act as speakers or moderators, although speakers from their firm are permissible.
• Only one representative per firm is allowed to speak at the conference, a limit the Planning Committee applies for the whole duration of the conference in order to maximise the range of views expressed.
• ITechLaw is conscious of diversifying panels to represent a global perspective and inclusivity of genders, and asks that this be considered when submitting.

ITechLaw is building an agenda with a mix of session formats and encourages proposals in three formats:

• Panel discussion. A panel brings together multiple speakers with diverse perspectives to examine a topic through moderated conversation. The proposal is for an entire session with multiple speakers, and you do not have to know the other speakers or subject matter experts for the topic you propose. Each session is assigned a moderator, who communicates with the presenters in advance to build a cohesive presentation.
• Workshop. An interactive workshop lets attendees participate through discussion, exercises, demonstrations or collaborative activities, emphasising practical application, skill development or problem solving. This proposal is also for an entire session, typically with multiple facilitators, and again you need not know the other facilitators.
• Keynote presentation. A keynote delivers thought-provoking insights on a topic of broad interest to the technology law community, exploring emerging trends, significant developments or visionary ideas in a compelling presentation-style format.

ITechLaw asks that proposals be interesting, surprising or carry disruptive take-home messages, and suggests sessions requiring interaction with or input from the audience, deep-dive sessions, showcases of technological developments that show how something works in practice rather than merely talking about it, case studies on handling new IT or legal developments in daily practice, and any innovative or creative format the proposer believes would work at an ITechLaw conference.

The Program Planning Committee has published a long list of topics of interest for the Vancouver programme, grouped as follows:

• Ocean, climate and sustainability tech: marine and ocean technology, eco technology and ocean innovation; technology for whale and marine preservation; Ocean Tracking Network and Internet of Animals use cases; whale tracking to prevent boat strikes; drone photogrammetry and environmental monitoring; modern cartography and mapping the Arctic; ClimateTech, ResourceTech and green technology frameworks; carbon capture, energy efficiency, eWaste and green coding; fighting forest fires with technology.
• Artificial intelligence: agentic AI and rogue agentic AI; AI incident response; AI ethics, governance and human rights; AI regulation across jurisdictions and its practical application to organisations; contracting for AI including controls for AI-generated slop; red teaming and testing AI systems; AI in private-sector surveillance such as facial recognition and licence plate recognition; AI in cybersecurity; disinformation and mass dissemination via AI and the resulting litigation risks; AI and the judiciary; AI and legal privilege.
• Privacy, data protection and platform governance: AdTech and compliance challenges; global cookie laws and emerging consent frameworks; privacy and computer crime; the intersection of AI and data protection regulation; location tracking; children's privacy and online safety frameworks; legal frameworks for content moderation and platform safety obligations; jurisdictional challenges in global social media governance; metatag retention obligations for electronic service providers; synthetic audiences, persona integration and limits on profiling; dark patterns; political bias, election integrity and disinformation campaigns.
• Cybersecurity and resilience: cyber insurance; cyber risks in technology contracts; ransomware; data breaches and cybersecurity litigation; global cybersecurity legislation; quantum cybersecurity; DORA, the Digital Services Act and the NIS2 Directive.
• Commercial technology transactions and market practice: cloud computing, SaaS and managed services contracts; modern contracting and evolving market practice; export controls and sanctions; tariffs and technology companies worldwide; antitrust and regulatory intervention in technology M&A and consumer relations.
• Global regulatory developments and sector regulation: new or impending global legislation affecting technology companies; export controls, tariffs and sanctions and legal strategies for the resulting uncertainty.
• Open data and intellectual property: real-life client use cases; IP and digital content; 3D printing and copyright; intellectual property and the training of AI; trademarks in a virtual world; digital piracy, scraping and AI training; Unified Patent Court developments; protecting AI-generated works through existing IP frameworks.
• Science, health and space technologies: regulating technology and IP in space and satellites; biotech and bioinformatics; cleantech and climate change; green coding; genetic technologies; health tech and life sciences; litigation in biometrics; legal frameworks for greentech and sustainable innovation; carbon capture and energy efficiency; neuro-tech rights.
• Emerging technologies: robotics and automation, including robotics helping the elderly; electric and autonomous vehicles and their regulation; the changing face of esports and gaming.
• Other tracks: wine and spirits technology, including ice wine and rye whisky production technologies; quantum computing; startups and scaleups, covering seed and Series A rounds, legal issues facing technology startups and private equity versus venture capital; tech-related litigation, including mass claims and mass arbitrations and AI liability; tech mergers and acquisitions; SaaS; the changing practice of law, covering legal technology, ethics and the duty of candour, the impact of AI on the future role of lawyers, client expectations and new billing models, and case studies on AI tools in legal practice; and hot topics currently in the news, including crypto, DeFi, digital currencies and the digital euro.

• All proposals must be submitted through Oxford Abstracts using the official submission portal for the ITechLaw 2027 World Technology Law Conference.
• You will need an Oxford Abstracts account, or you can sign in using an existing Google or LinkedIn account.
• Proposals submitted by email, or sent directly to the Conference Co-Chairs, will not be considered.
• All proposals must be submitted by 28 August 2026 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
• If you are selected as a presenter, you will be asked to submit materials in advance of the conference.
• Presenters should assume that attendees already have a working knowledge of the topic, and should focus the presentation on the implications of the topic and what it means for lawyers in practice. Topics should have broad appeal and involve engagement for those attending in person.

There is no fee to submit a proposal. ITechLaw states that it does not pay speaking fees to any speakers, although exceptions may apply.

Speakers receive a discounted rate on the member registration rate to attend the full conference. An exception is made for in-house counsel, academic faculty and government officials, who may attend complimentary. Registration rates for the Vancouver conference have not yet been published. Travel to and accommodation in Vancouver are not addressed in the call, and applicants from outside Canada should account for a Canadian visitor visa or eTA in their planning.

More than 75 proposals are regularly received for each ITechLaw conference, so selection is difficult and highly selective, and not all proposals will be accepted. The Conference Co-Chairs and the Planning Committee review every submission and will notify each proposer of the status of their proposal in early 2027; ITechLaw has not published a specific notification date.

ITechLaw asks that you submit a proposal only if you are available to attend the conference, and that you save the dates of 12 to 14 May 2027.