Conference 2026
14th Conference Authors' Rights, November 9, 2026
Generative AI: Call for a Sustainable and Fair Ecosystem
For the fourteenth time, the Authors' Rights Initiative is hosting the International Authors' Rights Conference in Berlin to discuss current issues surrounding generative AI with experts and industry representatives.
This year’s conference will focus on the theme “Generative AI: The Call for a Sustainable and Fair Ecosystem.” There will therefore be an update on Gen AI—from legal, political, media, legal policy, and cultural perspectives.
The number of in-person seats is limited; the conference will also be livestreamed. Confirmation of in-person attendance will be sent in early October. We will provide simultaneous translation from German to English and from English to German.
Academy of Arts at Pariser Platz
Pariser Platz 4
10117 Berlin
Monday, November 9, 2026
Doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Conference 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The livestream will be available on this page starting at 9:00 a.m. on November 9, 2026.
The German version can be found here: urheber.info/konferenz-2026
Please register here:
Registration for in-person conference attendance
lets-meet.org/reg/103446e81cbc1de2e1
Registration for the livestream
lets-meet.org/reg/865b30bb03065c2597
Important Note Regarding Registration: The number of spots on the guest list is very limited. Registrations should reach us until September, 30. Confirmations will be issued only after that deadline. Thank you for your understanding that registration does not constitute a binding confirmation for the event.
Instead of the 2025 recording, access to the live stream of this year’s conference will be available here starting November 9 at 8:00 a.m.
Program
8:30 a.m.
Admission
Start with tea and coffee
Greetings and Welcome Remarks
9:30 a.m.
Greeting
Matthias Hornschuh, Composer, Spokesperson for the Authors' Rights Initiative
and Katharina Uppenbrink, Managing director Authors' Rights Initiative
Greeting
Prof. Manos Tsangaris, President of the Academy of Arts (requested)
Greeting/Statement
Dr. Konrad Schmidt-Werthern, Secretary General of the Federal Ministry for Culture and the Media
Greetings / Statement
Sabine Verheyen, MEP, First Vice President of the European Parliament (requested)
Greetings / Statement
Parliamentary State Secretary Johannes Steiniger (BMWE)
Greetings / Statement
Parliamentary State Secretary Gitta Connemann (BMDS) (requested)
Greetings / Statement
Representative of the European Commission (requested)
Europe
10:10 a.m.
Keynote
Kai Zenner, Head of Office and Digital Policy Adviser for MEP Axel Voss (EPP group) in the European Parliament / Member of the OECD.AI Expert Network
10:25 a.m.
Keynote
Felix Kartte, expert on digital and European policy
10:40 a.m.
Keynote
Prof. Dr. Thomas Höppner, Partner at Geradin Partners
10:55 a.m.
Video Statement
Prof. Dr. Peter Kirchschläger, University of Freiburg and ETH AI Center (requested)
Questions
Break
Federal Government and Bundestag
11:30 a.m.
Statement
Carsten Brosda, Senator of the Hamburg Ministry of Culture and Media
Main keynote
Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection Dr. Stefanie Hubig (requested)
12:00 p.m.
Panel Bundestag
Sven Lehmann, Member of the Bundestag, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Media
Martin Rabanus, Member of the Bundestag, Speaker (SPD) of the Committee on Culture and Media
Carsten Müller, Member of the Bundestag, Chair of the Committee on Justice and Consumer Protection (requested)
Questions
Expert presentations
12:30 p.m.
Presentation
Prof. Dr. Malte Stieper, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
12:45 p.m.
Presentation
Chan-jo Jun, attorney and specialist in IT law, member of the Bavarian Constitutional Court
1:00 p.m.
Presentation
Dr. Hanna Lukashevich, Head of the Semantic Music Technologies research group, Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT, Ilmenau
1:15 p.m.
Presentation
Dr. Eva Flecken, Director of the Berlin-Brandenburg Media Authority (mabb) and Chair of the ZAK/DLM
Break
International Perspectives
2:15 p.m.
Introduction to the Afternoon Session
Matthias Hornschuh, Spokesperson for the Authors' Rights Initiative
Katharina Uppenbrink, Executive Director of the Authors' Rights Initiative
2:25 p.m.
Presentation
Prof. Marketa Trimble, Samuel S. Lionel Professor of Intellectual Property Law, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
2:40 p.m.
Presentation
Izv. Professor Dr. von Lewinski, Max Planck Institute
Positions of the Ministries
3:00 p.m.
Caroline von Klitzing (BKM), Head of Division KM 64: Copyright; Legal Aspects of AI
Martin Bittner (BMJV), Head of the Division for Copyright and Publishing Law
Evelyn Grass (BMDS), Head of Division DWII2 – Artificial Intelligence (invited)
Questions
Pending Lawsuits
3:30 p.m.
Statement
Marc-Uwe Kling, author and founder of Save Social, plaintiff in the lawsuit against OpenAI
Panel Lawsuits
Dr. Rainer Dresen, General Counsel at Penguin Random House
Sabine Richly, Digital Media Law
Questions
Break
Recommendations and Conclusions
4:20 p.m.
Panel of Authors and Artists
Dr. Urban Pappi, Board Member of VG Bild-Kunst, Vice Chair of CISAC, Neuilly-sur-Seine
Tobias Wüstefeld, Illustrator
Dr. Tilo Gerlach, Managing Director of GVL, Board Member of Aepo-Artis, Brussels
Christopher Annen, AnnenMayKantereit
Representative of the AV Division, (requested)
Perspectives
Sabine Richly, Digital Media Law
Dr. Carolina Forgit-Knerr, Social and Cultural Anthropologist
4:55 p.m.
Summary and Acknowledgments
Matthias Hornschuh and Katharina Uppenbrink, Authors' Rights Initiative
5:00 p.m.
End of the event
Subject to change!
The program is updated on an ongoing basis.
Our partners
The 14th Copyright Conference is supported by project funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.
