Video: The Hague & Partners
How do we protect creators’ rights without losing free expression in an algorithm-driven world? From Wednesday 17 to Friday 19 June 2026, the global copyright community meets in The Hague around Copyright and Free Expression in the Age of Algorithms.
Copyright has long supported cultural expression by protecting creators while also safeguarding freedom of speech. Today, algorithms, AI systems and digital platforms increasingly determine how creative works are produced, shared and discovered, putting that balance under pressure.
At the centre of the congress is the question of how to preserve room for free expression while ensuring that the economic and moral rights of creators remain respected. The programme explores this tension from multiple perspectives.
The ALAI Congress 2026 is hosted by the Vereniging voor Auteursrecht (VvA), the Netherlands national group of Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale. The congress brings together scholars, practitioners and policymakers for three days of debate, research and exchange.
The Association Littéraire et Artistique Internationale was founded in 1878 in Paris by Victor Hugo, who served as its honorary president. From the outset, ALAI pursued a clear goal: the creation of an international convention to protect the rights of writers and artists. This ambition led to the adoption of the Berne Convention eight years later.
Since then, ALAI has continued to play a leading role in the development of international copyright law.
Are you an early-career copyright scholar or practitioner (within five years after your PhD defence or final bar admission)? Then this is for you. The Next Generation Event 2026, a half-day side event of the ALAI Congress in The Hague, brings together young professionals to explore two cutting-edge topics at the intersection of copyright and freedom of expression. Join the discussion, share your perspective, and connect with peers.
The international human rights framework for freedom of expression continually evolves, and so does the international copyright framework. The keynote sets out the relationship between copyright and freedom of expression law as expressed in international law. It also discusses important contemporary challenges in the light of algoritmic society, setting the stage for deeper dives during the conference.
Short presentations introduce the important ways in which copyright law safeguards freedom of expression. This includes the delineation of protected subject-matter (in relation also to copyright as a driver of creative production), limitations & exceptions, and through enforcement (remedies, including territorial scope). A panel discusses the increasing importance of balancing copyright and freedom of expression, drawing on national approaches. Is the current framework appropriate to provide for this balance, for example as regards current ways of digital creation (digital building blocks of expression, generative AI, etc.)?
Artists need to be able to reap the economic benefits from their creations so that they can continue creating. At the same time, the artistic process involves taking inspiration from the works of others, commenting on the works of others and using works of others as a component of or starting point for new creation. To foster culture, there is a societal interest to accommodate both aspects of artistic creation when defining the scope of copyright protection. Striking the right balance becomes increasingly difficult now that technologies for disseminating, accessing, copying, adapting and morphing of content are ever more available, affordable and easy to use. In this session speakers from different parts of the world examine how this balancing act plays out in their jurisdictions, taking three fictitious cases of creative re-use as a starting point.
Building on the analysis in the previous session a panel of speakers will discuss the future of copyright and artistic expression. How should the concepts of fair use, fair dealing and exceptions for quotation, parody and pastiche evolve to protect and foster artistic expression in an era of unbridled re-use, GenAI (aided) content and crumbling democratic values? Should a balance be struck within the copyright system (through e.g. the threshold of originality, exceptions, three-step-test, duration, remuneration rights) or externally by letting the fundamental rights of freedom of artistic expression limit the scope of copyright protection? Should the approach be different for copyright and related rights?
The public sector including the legislative, judicial and executive branches in all their manifestions produces and collects vasts amounts of information. Often this is subject to copyright but the Berne Convention also gives states significant leeway in limiting protection. In an age where technologies enable wide access to public sector information (eg as part of open government programmes), and right to information laws are increasingly viewed as part and parcel of the right to freedom of expression, this session explores how transparency can be reconciled with interests of right owners.
Text and data mining (TDM) for AI training is the starting point of a development process that can lead to powerful generative AI systems (GenAI). As these systems have the potential to replace human creativity and change human creative practice, the question is how copyright law could be used as a regulatory tool to support human free expression. With regard to the TDM process itself, the evolving ‘right to research’ under freedom of expression law has become an important factor in the policy debate. Moreover, the question arises how copyright can ensure fair remuneration for the use of human works in AI training – for both authors and rightsholders, including small repertoire owners. Finally, the quality and cultural diversity of TDM resources must be considered. The future generation of “GenAI natives” (not knowing a world without GenAI) may use GenAI routinely as a tool to obtain templates for their own creativity and free expression. If AI training resources are not sufficiently diverse, the risk arises that certain human expressions are no longer visible in GenAI output – and simply forgotten and lost when human acts of expression are based on GenAI templates. The session explores these different dimensions of the TDM and AI training debate.
Capabilities of generative AI systems to produce all manner of outputs are improving incredibly fast. What this implies for copyright and freedom of expression is the topic of this session. Would the human literary and artistic discourse be enriched or impoverished if copyright protection were available for 100% machine-made AI output? Could the grant of copyright enrich the literary and artistic landscape or would it hinder productive remix and reuse? What about the more common instances of human-machine collaboration, where human authors engage in prompt writing or modifications of AI output? When is the originality threshold met and what transparency measures are necessary to identify original human expression? Finally, the session will turn to infringement risks. Does AI output go beyond unprotected style imitations and general concepts? If so, how can copyright holders take measures against the unauthorised copying of their protected expression? How to distribute the burden of proof?
For ALAI 2026, the welcome reception and the congress dinner are included in the registration fee.
The excursion on Saturday 20 June, as well as the partner events on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 June, can be booked during registration. More details will follow.
The ALAI 2026 Congress will take place in The Hague, the international city of justice and peace. It is home to institutions such as the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The city is easy to explore on foot or by public transport, with both a historic centre and a nearby beach.
The main venue is the Marriott Hotel The Hague (Johan de Wittlaan 30, The Hague), located between the city centre and the Scheveningen beach area. The hotel offers modern conference facilities and comfortable rooms.
From Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS), trains depart from the arrival hall to The Hague Central Station every 10-15 minutes and take about 30 minutes. From Rotterdam-The Hague Airport (RTM), you can take the metro or bus to Rotterdam Central Station and from there the train to The Hague (about 35–40 minutes in total). For train times and tickets, see website of the Dutch railways.
From The Hague Central Station, the Marriott is a short ride away by public transport. You can take tram 16 towards Statenkwartier and get off at the stop Gemeentemuseum/Museon. You can also take tram 1 towards Scheveningen Noorderstrand and get off at World Forum. From these stops, it is only a few minutes walk to the hotel.
If you arrive by car, the Marriott has a private parking area.
Use the website NetherlandsWorldwide to check whether you need a visa or any other travel documents to enter The Netherlands.
The Hague offers a wide range of accommodation. Below are four hotel suggestions close to the main venue. All are within walking distance from the Marriott.
Prices are indicative for a single room per night (for 17-19 June 2026), excluding breakfast and subject to availability and change.
Located in the same building as the congress.
Approximate price from € 180. About 300 rooms in total.
About 250 metres from the Marriott (around 4 minutes’ walk).
Approximate price from € 180. Around 215 rooms.
About 850 metres from the Marriott (around 12 minutes’ walk).
Approximate price from € 110. Around 45 rooms.
Also about 850 metres from the Marriott (around 12 minutes’ walk).
Approximate price from € 160. Around 175 rooms.
Early career legal professionals or academics (including Post-docs, PhDs or Master level students, within five years after obtaining a PhD or final admission to a legal profession), are welcome to participate in this half-day side event on Wednesday 17 June 2026, which will revolve around two cutting-edge topics at the intersection of copyright and freedom of expression.
After a joint opening of the session, two think tanks will be formed by participants with a special interest in one of the following topics:
Each think tanks will consist of two “types” of participants:
Wednesday 17 June
13:00 – Doors open (coffee and tea)
13:15 – Joint welcome and overview of the afternoon
13:30 – Groups split
13:45 – Keynote speech about the topic by the moderator of each group
14:00 – Three to four minute pitch by the selected participants on their take on the problem
14:30 – Think tank session lead by the moderator (part I)
15:30 – Break
15:45 – Think tank session lead by the moderator (part II)
16:30 – Joint closing of the day
17:00 – Time to check-in to hotel
Welcome reception ALAI Conference (see conference website)
Think tank I will be led by Dr. Carys J. Craig, Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Osgoode Hall Law School (York University, Toronto).
Think tank II will be led by Dr. Peter Teunisssen, Assistant Professor of Private and Intellectual Property Law at Radboud University (Nijmegen).
Both moderators will also speak at the main ALAI event. Through them the insights and outcomes of each think tank will be integrated in the main event.
Applications for the role of selected participant and registration as an additional attendee can be submitted to nextgeneration@alai2026.nl. The application deadline is 15 February 2026. All applicants and subscribers will be notified mid-March 2026.
Participation in the Next Generation Event is exclusively reserved for attendees of the main ALAI congress and comes at no additional charge. Please note that separate registration for the main ALAI event is required. All participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses, but will qualify for the student fee of the main conference. Therefore please report your application/registration for the Next Generation Event on your registration form for the main event. Invoicing will then be postponed until after the selection and registration process.
Further details about the program and application and registration procedure can be found here.
ALAI invites all early career legal professionals or academics (including Post-docs, PhDs or Master level students) with a special interest in one of these topics to apply or register for their preferred role in the event.
The application deadline is 15 February 2026.
© Vereniging voor Auteursrecht – ALAI Congress 2026 The Hague. Privacy Policy.

Gemma Minero is Associate Professor of Civil Law at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, where she coordinates the LLM in IP and the LLM in Legal Advice in AI. Her thesis was awarded with the Spanish Congress of Deputies Award. She is member of the Spanish IP Commission.

Bernd Justin Jütte is Associate Professor in Intellectual Property Law at University College Dublin’s Sutherland School of Law. His research interest center around digital aspects of copyright law, in particular at the intersection of copyright exceptions and fundamental rights. and the regulation of online speech on platforms through copyright norms and other normative frameworks.
Prof Paul Torremans is professor of Intellectual Property Law, School of law, University of Nottingham (UK).
His research focuses on IP and private international law, as well as the relationship between IP and Human Rights (P. Torremans (ed), Intellectual Property Law and Human Rights, Kluwer Law International (5th ed, 2026).
Adela (Zhixuan) Wang is a Herchel Smith PhD candidate at Queen Mary University of London and her current research focuses on legal transplants and harmonisation of the parody exception in copyright law.

Peter Teunissen is Assistant Professor, Radboud University (Nijmegen) and specialises in intellectual property law. His work covers mainly copyright, trademark and design law, unfair competition, and their interaction with European Union law and fundamental rights. He wrote his PhD thesis on injunctions and proportionality in intellectual property law.
Jane C. Ginsburg, U. Chicago (BA 1976, MA 1977), Harvard (JD 1980) Université de Paris II (DEA 1985, Dott. 1995) is the Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law at Columbia University School of Law. She writes about domestic and international copyright and trademarks law.

Axel METZGER is Professor of Civil and Intellectual Property Law, Humboldt-University, Berlin.
After studies in law in Hamburg, Paris, Munich and Harvard, he was professor at Leibniz Universität Hannover before entering the law faculty of Humboldt-University in 2014. Axel has served as Dean of the Humboldt-University Law Faculty from 2022-2024. His research focuses on intellectual property, information technology and general contract law.
Bartolomeo Meletti is the Head of Knowledge Exchange of CREATe, the Centre for Regulation of the Creative Economy at the University of Glasgow. His expertise and research interest are in the areas of copyright law and the lawful use of existing content, with a focus on copyright exceptions.
Caterina Sganga is Professor of Comparative Private Law and Director of the DIRPOLIS Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy). She is Former President (2024-2025) of the EPIP Association; Member of the European Copyright Society; author of policy studies for the EU and the Italian legislators; coordinator/PI and work package leaders in several EU-funded Horizon projects in the field of copyright and the law of cultural and creative industries (CCIs). Her key research areas are EU copyright law, IP and new technologies, the balance between IP and human rights, the law and economics of CCIs, data ownership and governance, Open Science law and policies.
Romana Matanovac Vuckovic, Full Professor at the University of Zagreb Faculty of Law; Head of the IP Postgraduate Specialist Study. Former Deputy Director General of SIPO; President of Croatia’s Copyright Experts Council; President of the EU Council Audiovisual Working Party during Croatia’s EU Presidency. Expertise: copyright, collective management, audiovisual law, IP policy.

Péter Mezei is a professor of law (University of Szeged, Hungary), an honorary adjunct professor (University of Turku, Finland), a chief researcher (Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) and a professor invité (Université Lyon III, France). His focus is on comparative law, and comparative, digital, International and European copyright law.
Katharina de la Durantaye is professor for private law and law of the digital transformation at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Her research focuses, among other things, on copyright law, and on the regulation of the digital economy, including AI regulation.
Tatsuhiro Ueno joined Waseda University in 2013, and he is currently Director of both the Research Centre for the Legal System of Intellectual Property (RCLIP) and the Institute of Comparative Law. He is a specialist in copyright law and has published numerous articles on the subject.
Alexander Peukert (pronounce as Poikert) is professor of civil, commercial and information law at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Peukert was chair of the European Copyright Society (2023-2024) and of the working group tasked with drafting the copyright-related rules of the first EU General-Purpose AI Code of Practice (2024-2025).
Dirk Visser (1969) is Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Leiden Law School since 2003 and advocaat in Amsterdam since 1996 (Visser Schaap & Kreijger).
Prof. dr Mireille van Eechoud is Dean of Amsterdam Law School and holds a chair in information law at the University of Amsterdam, Institute for Information Law. She chairs the Dutch group of ALAI and the Dutch government’s Advisory Committee on Copyright. Her specializations include international and EU copyright law, private international law, freedom of information and data access regulation.
Professor Frank Gotzen (°1947) received his law degree (Doctor in Law) from the KU Leuven in 1970. He obtained a grant from the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung and worked from 1970 till 1973 as a researcher at the Max-Planck-Institute for Foreign and International Patent, Copyright and Competition law in Munich. In 1979 he became a lecturer for “Copyright” at the Law Faculty of the KU Leuven and in 1984 also for “Industrial Property”. Since 1987, he was Professor for Copyright an Industrial Property. After his retirement in 2012 he continued to teach “Copyright” as an emeritus Professor.
Professor Gotzen has been Dean of the Law Faculty of the Catholic University of Brussels (KU Brussel) from 1982 till 1987. From 1992 till 1997 he was the Rector of this university. Professor Gotzen is the founder of the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIR) and has been its director between 1988-2014. Today, it has been integrated into the Centre for IT & IP Law (CITIP).
In 1994 Professor Gotzen worked as an expert at the Belgian Parliament to review the Belgian Copyright Bill. He has been an expert several times for the Commission of the European Community, drafting studies in Intellectual Property matters. In 2002 and in 2006 he has been appointed as Visiting Researcher in the Institute for Intellectual Property (IIP) in Tokyo. In 2013 he was appointed as Program Professor in the School of Public Affairs of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei. Since 2011 he is a visiting Professor for the Master en Propriedad Intelectual of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
He acted as a member of the Scientific Council at the Max-Planck-Institute for Intellectual Property in Munich and of the EU Experts group on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights with the European Commission .
In 1998, he established a LL.M. program in intellectual property rights which has now become the Master of Intellectual Property & ICT Law in Brussels.
At present he is a member of the Belgian High Council for Intellectual Property.
Since 2016, he serves as President of the International Copyright Association ALAI, based in Paris.