Vinge has proudly sponsored the international conference Digital Knowledge - The Library and Copyright in a Global Digital Economy, which was held in Stockholm from 11 to 13 September 2024. The conference, organised by the Swedish National Library, the Swedish Patent and Registration Office and the Stockholm Centre for Commercial Law (SCCL), was fully booked and attended by several leading experts in both law and technology. Tobias Kempas, Vinge, gave a presentation about machine learning and copyright. Vinge also organised a welcome reception as well as a Friday lunch, both of which were appreciated.
The intense days started with a well-attended reception at Vinge's Stockholm offices. Guests were treated to jazz music and given the opportunity to network and discuss the various topics of the conference.
In the picture: Welcome reception at Vinge, with live music from Wingård Jazz Trio.
The conference was officially opened on 12 September by Karin Grönvall (National Librarian, the Swedish National Library), Anna Jardfelt (Director General, the Swedish Patent and Registration Office) and Jan Rosén (Professor, SCCL, Stockholm University). This was followed by a series of presentations and panel discussions, with speakers and moderators from several leading jurisdictions and institutions, including the U.S. Copyright Office, the European Commission and WIPO.
In the picture: Jukka Liedes, Ulrike Till, Emmanuelle du Chalard, Anne le Morvan and Tatsuhiro Ueno.
Several topical issues related to the digital transformation were addressed during the day with relevance to society’s digital transformation: focusing on the relationship of copyright to the development and use of AI systems, machine learning, as well as text and data mining. Several experts emphasised the need for collaboration between libraries, technology developers and legal advisers to manage the rapidly changing knowledge sharing environment. Tobias Kempas, Vinge, who participated in the panel discussion on machine learning, focused on the legal possibilities of using AI training data for various purposes.
Machine learning is a rather controversial topic. An important task for legislators and courts is to strike a fair balance between the interests of copyright holders, on the one hand, and the fundamental rights and freedoms of developers and users (such as freedom of information), on the other. The panel debate showed that there is no international consensus on how best to achieve this balance," says Tobias Kempas, Counsel, Vinge.
In the picture: Mats Lindberg, Catherine Zaller Rowland, Tobias Kempas, Jan Rosén, Anita Huss Ekerhult, Susan Allen and James Bennett.
On the second day of the conference, 13 September, the need for cross-border access to training data for research purposes was discussed, with the territoriality principle of intellectual property rights, global licensing opportunities and collective management organisations occupying a large part of the agenda. This was followed by a discussion on flexible norms, with several speakers highlighting how different countries have chosen to regulate (or not regulate) text and data mining for different purposes.
The intensive discussions continued over lunch, which was sponsored by Vinge.
In the picture: Jan Rosén, Stockholm Centre for Commercial Law, Jerker Rydén, Royal Library (KB), Sofie Grettve von Rosen, PRV, and Tobias Kempas, Vinge.
The afternoon session focused somewhat more on economic aspects, with a key observation being the incentives for AI developers to locate in jurisdictions considered to be AI-friendly. The risk of market failure was highlighted, with several panellists (in particular US rights holders) arguing that contractual solutions (licences) are desirable.
The day ended with a well-deserved farewell to organisers and key staff.
In the picture: Sofie Grettve von Rosen, Carlo Lavizzari, Alison Firth, Karol Kościński, Jukka Liedes, Eleonora Rosati, Jan Rosén, Kate Parson and Jerker Rydén.
The conference ended with an archipelago cruise on board the steamship S/S Motala Express, with dinner and live music. A stunning sunset over the city of Stockholm bid the guests farewell.
In the picture: S/S Motala Express.
Vinge is very pleased to be able to participate actively in the debate, both nationally and internationally. We continue to actively monitor legal and political developments within Industry 4.0, with a view to creating the greatest possible value for our clients, today and in the future.
