Collective Licensing of AI
Wednesday 23 October from 16:00 to 17:00 CEST (Geneva time)
Publishers have been alerting regulators that licensing required for AI purposes is feasible under the existing legal framework and is widely available. In addition to direct or individual licenses, voluntary collective licenses can be a useful tool for publishers to consider as a free choice under their contractual freedom. CCC, CLA and VG Wort offer voluntary collective licenses of AI related uses. We will hear all about these licenses, and how are these organizations managing publishers’ mandates to supplement direct licensing where required.
Speakers:
- James Bennett, Rightsholder Relations, Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA)
- Catherine Zaller Rowland, Vice President, General Counsel, Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)
- Robert Staats, CEO, VG WORT
Registration link: upon request
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James Bennett is Head of Rightsholder Relations at the Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK, responsible for the strategic management of CLA’s relationship with rightsholders and with other Collective Management Organisations around the world: working in partnership with publisher, author and visual creator organisations to maintain and develop CLA’s collective and transactional licences, platforms and content services.
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Catherine Zaller Rowland is Vice President, General Counsel, at CCC where she oversees the Legal Department and advises on complex issues including copyright licensing, software, professional services, and the intersection of copyright and emerging technologies. Previously, Rowland held a range of positions in the private sector and federal government, focusing on intellectual property matters. Most recently, she served as Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of the Office of Public Information and Education at the U.S. Copyright Office, where she was one of four principal legal advisors to the head of the Copyright Office. She began her legal career in private practice focusing on intellectual property litigation, transactions, and counseling.
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Robert Staats has been CEO of VG WORT, the German Collective Management Organisation for authors and publishers, since 2009. He is a lawyer by profession, specialising in copyright law. Between 1994 and 2008, he worked as a judge and civil servant. He holds a doctorate degree in copyright law.
Inter alia, Robert is Board member of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) and of the Society of Audiovisual Authors (SAA), chair of the copyright committee of the German Cultural Council and member of the copyright committee of the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (GRUR). Robert is the author of publications on copyright law as well as a lecturer. |
Practical Approaches to Online Piracy: Focus on Notice and Takedown
Thursday 24 October from 17:00 to 18:00 CEST (Geneva time)
Piracy is the biggest threat for publishers across the world. Our expert speakers will talk about practical approaches to fight online piracy, focusing on preliminary investigative work and on the first steps for copyright owners to enforce their rights. The speakers will delve into how to prioritize, serve and track notices to platforms and ISPs for takedown of unauthorized content.
Speakers:
- Mo Ali, Founder, Web Capio
- Jack Newton, Head of Content Protection and Enforcement, Publishers Association
Registration link: upon request
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Mo Ali has worked in Content/Brand Protection since 2002 after graduating from Brunel University in Computing in business. During his time at IFPI he built a web crawler to identify and report over 8m song titles for multiple record labels. The crawler evolved over time including the ability to search and report millions of Google results and find pre-release leaks. Data was used to shut down pre-release music groups and high-profile investigations that resulted in music labels changing their security based on my feedback.
He has presented at Interpol, Homeland Security and UK Law enforcement events about Internet technologies and high profile criminal cases. Some of the investigation led to worldwide press coverage and support from leading artists. In 2014 he setup Web Capio Limited to offer web crawling services based on his unique experience. Developing new crawling services that are used by major IP owners. The company joined the Obviously Group in 2023 to offer a wider range of IP services. Each service is custom and bespoke for the client often replacing services provided by other, much larger brand protection services. The tailored approach is more effective and generates higher quality results that reduces infringe levels and gives the client a better understanding of their threats and how to mitigate the damage. Constantly looking for new challenges and opportunities to offer new and market leading products as the landscape changes. Recent examples are building a music pre-release detection service that finds a leak within minutes. Using Artificial Intelligence to identify images and logos in video content and thumbnail images on marketplace platforms. This reduces manual verification and increases the volume of videos/images that can be checked in the event of a leak. |
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Jack Newton is a seasoned anti-piracy expert with over 16 years of experience protecting intellectual property across the creative industries. He has been instrumental in developing innovative strategies to combat piracy and safeguard valuable content.
He first entered the world of content protection in 2008 working for a consultancy that specialised in protecting the brand and live streaming content for major sporting organisations across the world. In 2014 he joined the publishing industry working for Springer Nature, one of the world’s leading global research, educational and professional publishers, as Senior Anti-Piracy Manager. In 2018 as part of his role at Springer Nature he began a secondment for one day a week at the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), where he played a pivotal role in raising awareness of intellectual property theft within the publishing sector. Since joining The UK’s Publishers Association as Head of Content Protection and Enforcement in 2022, he has been at the forefront of industry efforts to combat digital piracy. His leadership has been pivotal in establishing the PA as a go-to authority for members, law enforcement, and government on piracy issues. Under his guidance, the PA has successfully assisted law enforcement in taking action against major piracy platforms, such as Z-Library. He has become a recognized leader in the fight against digital piracy speaking at a number of events including moderating a session on e-library piracy at the first-ever INTERPOL Global Meeting on Digital Piracy earlier this year. |
AI Licensing & Fairly Trained
Monday 18 November from 18:00 to 19:00 CET (Geneva time)
Licensing required for AI training purposes is simple in the digital age, and there is no excuse to ignore it. Direct and collective licensing models are ubiquitous, flexible, efficient, and continue to evolve. Technology companies can respect copyright and avoid liability. Yet, many have been infringing rights and calling for weaker copyright protections. In this webinar, we will hear from our expert speakers about how licensing is and will continue to address the needs of responsible AI developers and how Fairly Trained is making sure that creators and copyright owners are treated fairly and get a say in whether or not their work is trained on by Generative AI.
Speakers:
- Maria Pallante, President and CEO, Association of American Publishers (AAP)
- Ed Newton Rex, Founder, Fairly Trained
Registration link: upon request
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Maria A. Pallante has served as President and Chief Executive of the Association of American Publishers since 2017. Working with her talented team, she leads the organization’s public policy, information, and litigation programs in support of the modern publishing industry, with a particular focus on content protections, freedom of expression, and digital markets. Previously, she served as Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, where she advised Congress on major legislative initiatives, including Internet policy, licensing, and small claims; modernized the agency’s regulatory practices; and represented the United States on treaty and diplomatic delegations. Earlier, Ms. Pallante was in-house counsel with the worldwide Guggenheim Museums, counsel with the Authors Guild, and a lawyer in private practice. She serves on numerous boards and professional committees and has delivered a number of prominent legal lectures throughout her career. She teaches copyright at George Washington University Law School.
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| Ed Newton Rex is the founder of Fairly Trained, a non-profit that certifies generative AI companies for training data practices that respect creators’ rights. |