17 November 2025
The Case for a EU Digital Knowledge Act
The European educational, research and cultural heritage institutions face significant barriers to transition their practices into the digital environment. Despite playing a fundamental role in supporting the exercise of rights such as education, scientific freedom, and participation in cultural life, these institutions are peripheral to the EU’s digital legislative agenda. The proposal for a Digital Knowledge Act is a response to this regulatory blind spot. Continue reading >>
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14 November 2025
Synallagmatic Copyright
Copyright, which provides the exclusive rights that allow authors to control the use of their works, is based on a societal bargain that grants rights in exchange for purpose-bound access to the works protected. In the EU, this contract has become imbalanced. Copyright, in order to honor its social contract, must empower users and follow-on creators to enforce the limited rights they have by providing them with efficient enforcement tools. Continue reading >>
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12 November 2025
Beyond Copyright
Open Access is seen as a terrific opportunity for researchers to spread knowledge at unprecedented speed and increase society’s wider participation in cultural life. In contrast, traditional publishing models, with their rigid market dynamics, are aimed at rewarding rightsholders but feature visible contractual asymmetries that put researchers’ freedoms at stake, an imbalance that Second Publication Rights aim to redress. Continue reading >>
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11 November 2025
Access to Knowledge on the Move(ment)
In her State of the Union speech, Ursula von der Leyen outlined several key priorities, among which one unmistakably stood out as a core objective: strengthening the EU Single Market. And there it was again – resurfacing with growing political weight – the call for a “fifth Freedom”: the free movement of knowledge and innovation. This contribution examines the legal implications that a new Freedom of movement could have on the right to access knowledge in the fields of research and education. Continue reading >>
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11 November 2025
Rooting Access in the Union’s Constitutional Norms and Values
The EU is currently experiencing epochal shifts. Key to addressing these challenges is harnessing the innovation potential of the ‘old continent’ by rediscovering the intellectual roots of an open, free, and progressive society. With the advent of digitisation, copyright law has generated chilling effects on innovation and creativity. Removing them is essential for exploiting Europe’s potential for creativity and innovation. Continue reading >>
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10 November 2025
Shaping the EU Digital Knowledge Agenda
The digital revolution has multiplied the potential for research and learning, which are preconditions for innovation and development. Nonetheless, the legal framework in the EU governing access and use of knowledge dates back to the analogue age. For this purpose, research and education must be prioritised, and the well-known regulatory hurdles urgently need ambitious reform. Continue reading >>
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