ALAI 2015 International Congress, 18 – 20 June 2015, Bonn

GRUR - 2015-03-10

In 2015, the ALAI international congress will take place in Bonn. This venue was chosen to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the German Copyright Act. In 1965, the German legislature took a historical step that set a legal trend around the world: recognising that bans on certain use activities that could not be  practically enforced were of no use, it instead established collective remuneration systems for right holders.

Current technical challenges make it seem more future-proof than ever to base the law not on rights to prohibit use but on remuneration rights. The “Digital Single Market” envisaged by the European Commission calls for a fully accessible network of content on the Internet; the exercise of exclusive rights may contradict this vision. According to the Commission, copyrights today generate far more than one billion euros in revenues each year; over five million jobs have been created by the industries directly or indirectly involved. It will be interesting to analyse whether appropriate adjustments to copyright law, and if so, which ones, may boost this potential even more – to the benefit of all.

This potential will be the focal point of the congress in Bonn. On the first day, participants will examine the various mechanisms for achieving an equitable remuneration of right holders. Based on these mechanisms, the discussion will then focus on how to further develop the current system to ensure an equitable remuneration for use. On the second day, the spotlight will be on the latest business models. Different types of use will be analysed to identify the challenges these pose for both law makers and legal practitioners.

The 2015 ALAI congress will be on the cutting edge. Meet us in Bonn from June 18 to 20 to bring yourself up to date on copyright scholarship and copyright reality. The gala dinner on June 19 will be a great opportunity to network.

Please visit the website of the ALAI international acongress at www.alai2015.org for further details and online-registration.