I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7510 
To prohibit certain foreign governments from acquiring intellectual property 
rights of research conducted by United States universities, faculty, staff, 
or students, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 11, 2026 
Mr. NEHLS (for himself and Mr. GILL of Texas) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To prohibit certain foreign governments from acquiring intel-
lectual property rights of research conducted by United 
States universities, faculty, staff, or students, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preventing Research 
Ownership Transfer to External Competitive Threats 
(PROTECT) Act of 2026’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) COVERED
FOREIGN
GOVERNMENT.—The 
term ‘‘covered foreign government’’ means the gov-
ernment of any prohibited nation, including any 
agency, instrumentality, or entity controlled by such 
government. 
(2) COVERED RESEARCH.—The term ‘‘covered 
research’’ means any research, invention, discovery, 
or intellectual property developed or conducted, in 
whole or in part, by a United States university, or 
by any faculty member, staff member, or student af-
filiated with such university. 
(3) DESIGNATED FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANI-
ZATION.—The term ‘‘designated foreign terrorist or-
ganization’’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1189). 
(4) INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY
RIGHTS.—The 
term ‘‘intellectual property rights’’ includes patents, 
copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, know-how, 
data rights, and any other form of proprietary infor-
mation or rights related to covered research. 
(5) PROHIBITED NATION.—The term ‘‘prohib-
ited nation’’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 4. 
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(6) UNITED
STATES
UNIVERSITY.—The term 
‘‘United States university’’ means any institution of 
higher education as defined in section 101 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001) or 
section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1002), headquartered in the United 
States. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON ACQUISITION OF INTELLECTUAL 
PROPERTY RIGHTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—No United States university, or 
any faculty member, staff member, or student affiliated 
with such university, shall enter into any contract, agree-
ment, license, sale, transfer, or other transaction that 
grants, conveys, or otherwise provides a covered foreign 
government with any intellectual property rights in cov-
ered research. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—The prohibition under sub-
section (a) shall apply to any transaction entered into on 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. PROHIBITED NATIONS. 
The term ‘‘prohibited nation’’ means— 
(1) the Russian Federation; 
(2) the People’s Republic of China; 
(3) the Islamic Republic of Iran; 
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(4) any nation that is engaged in armed conflict 
with the United States; 
(5) any nation that harbors, financially sup-
ports, or otherwise cooperates with a designated for-
eign terrorist organization; 
(6) any nation designated as a State Sponsor of 
Terrorism by the U.S. Department of State; or 
(7) any other nation that the Secretary of State 
determines poses a threat to the national security of 
the United States. 
SEC. 5. PENALTIES. 
(a) VIOLATIONS NOT ENDANGERING NATIONAL SE-
CURITY.—Any United States university that violates sec-
tion 3 shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than 
$500,000 for each such violation, if the Secretary of State 
determines that the violation does not endanger the na-
tional security of the United States. 
(b) VIOLATIONS ENDANGERING NATIONAL SECU-
RITY.—Any United States university that violates section 
3 with respect to covered research, in general, or covered 
research related to critical energy or defense issues, which 
may affect the national security of the United States shall 
be subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,000,000 
for each such violation. 
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(c) SEIZURE OF FUNDS.—In the case of any violation 
under subsection (a) or (b), any funds or other consider-
ation received by the United States university in exchange 
for the intellectual property rights in the covered research 
shall be subject to seizure and forfeiture to the United 
States Government. 
(d) ENFORCEMENT.—The Attorney General, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of State, shall enforce the 
penalties under this section. 
SEC. 6. DETERMINATIONS BY SECRETARY OF STATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Any determination required under 
this Act, including determinations regarding prohibited 
nations under section 4(7), the level of threat to national 
security under section 5(a) or 5(b), or whether covered 
research relates to critical energy or defense issues under 
section 5(b), shall be made by the Secretary of State. 
(b) FINALITY.—Determinations under subsection (a) 
shall be final and committed to agency discretion. No such 
determination, finding, or action under this section shall 
be subject to judicial review, except to the extent required 
by the Constitution for colorable claims of violation of con-
stitutional rights. 
SEC. 7. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this Act, or the application of such 
provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be in-
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valid, the remainder of this Act, and the application of 
such provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not 
be affected thereby. 
Æ 
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