On 1 June at 14:00 CEST, COMMUNIA will host an in-person event at TownHall Europe in Brussels exploring one of the most pressing challenges facing Europe’s knowledge ecosystem: how legal uncertainty around copyright affects research, libraries, and public-interest AI development.

Across Europe, universities, research organisations, libraries, and archives rely on copyrighted materials every day to fulfil their public-interest missions. While EU copyright law enables some of these activities (including through exceptions), significant uncertainty remains — particularly in cross-border contexts and emerging AI use cases.

For public-interest actors, this uncertainty is not merely theoretical. Unclear liability rules and legal risk can discourage collaboration and innovation, pushing institutions and public-interest technology developers toward overly cautious approaches.

This event will bring together policymakers, researchers, and practitioners affected by this uncertainty to discuss practical and legal pathways to reduce copyright-related legal risk for public-interest AI developers and academic and public libraries. It will also mark the release of two new research publications:

• IViR (Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam): Mapping Policy Options for Legal Risk Mitigation
• Open Future / Centrum Cyfrowe: Research on sources of uncertainty and legal risk in public-interest AI development

13:30 – 14:00 Welcome coffee

14:00 – 15:30 Expert panel discussions

Panel 1: Public AI developers & copyright: where legal uncertainty starts

• Paul Keller (Open Future)
• Jan Hajič (Charles University Prague)
• Soofi – Sovereign Open Source Foundation Model initiative (speaker TBC)

Panel 2: Libraries & copyright management: where legal risk should end

• Martin Senftleben (IViR)
• Dyveke Sijm (Royal Danish Library)
• Teresa Nobre (COMMUNIA)

15:30 – 16:30 Networking reception with fingerfood and drinks

Additional speakers are currently being confirmed. Check the event page for updates.

Register now and join us for an exciting discussion with a stellar cast of experts!

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