Sandra Aistars

Clinical Professor; Director, Arts & Entertainment Advocacy Clinic; Sr. Fellow for Copyright Research and Policy & Sr. Scholar, C-IP2

BA, Bard College; JD, University of Baltimore School of Law

  • Area(s) of Expertise: Intellectual Property Law

Contact Information

  • Email: Send an email
  • Phone: 703-993-8158
  • Office: Room 318, Hazel Hall, Arlington
  • Address:
    Antonin Scalia Law School
    George Mason University
    3301 Fairfax Dr.
    Arlington, VA 22201

Biographical Sketch

Sandra Aistars is a Clinical Professor at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School and leads the law school’s Arts & Entertainment Program. She is also Senior Fellow for Copyright Research and Policy and a Senior Scholar at the Center for Intellectual Property x Innovation Policy (C-IP2). Professor Aistars has over twenty years of advocacy experience on behalf of copyright and other intellectual property owners. She has served on trade missions and been an industry advisor to the Department of Commerce on intellectual property implications for international trade negotiations; worked on legislative and regulatory matters worldwide; frequently testified before Congress and federal agencies regarding intellectual property matters; chaired cross-industry coalitions and technology standards efforts; and is regularly tapped by government agencies to lecture in U.S. government-sponsored study tours for visiting legislators, judges, prosecutors, and regulators.

Immediately prior to joining Scalia Law, Professor Aistars was the Chief Executive Officer of the Copyright Alliance – a nonprofit, public interest organization that represents the interests of artists and creators across the creative spectrum. While at Scalia Law, she continues to collaborate with the Copyright Alliance as a member of its Academic Advisory Board. Professor Aistars currently serves on the boards of the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA) and the Howard Intellectual Property Program (HIPP), and she has previously served as trustee of the Copyright Society of the USA (CSUSA). Professor Aistars has also previously served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Time Warner Inc. She began her legal career in private practice at Weil, Gotshal and Manges LLP.