Companies invest vast resources in the development of intellectual property with the legitimate expectation that they will be the principal, if not exclusive, beneficiaries of their intellectual endeavors. Protecting technical data and computer software when dealing with the U.S. Government is not impossible, but to do so you must complete a fairly complicated obstacle course without once stumbling or falling. Set forth below are ten easy ways, when dealing with Uncle Sam, to lose your footing when running the course, and with it, losing your preferred market position with respect to your own technology. With apologies to David Letterman, here are the “Top 10” ways to give away the “family jewels.”