Centre on Knowledge Governance

IVIR Course on International Copyright Law (Scholarship)
2026-06-29 09:00 - 2026-07-03 17:00 (Europe/Zurich) | The Institute for Information Law (IViR), Korte Spinhuissteeg 3, Amsterdam, 1012
The Institute for Information Law organizes an annual intensive post-graduate course on international copyright law and policy. The face of copyright law and policy changes continuously, mostly due to the constant evolution of the digital networked environment and the legislative initiatives at the international and European level. As a result, copyright professionals must keep abreast of the applicable rules and policy initiatives, including those deriving from the international treaties and the various European directives in the area.
The Centre on Knowledge Governance is offering 5 scholarships to attend the course. Priority will be given to policy makers and stakeholders from the Global South who are working directly on copyright reform initiatives.

At the conclusion of the course, participants will have gained valuable insight in the most crucial current issues of copyright law, examined from a comparative law perspective and in the light of recent international and regional agreements. Participants in the course will also have access to comprehensive course material, consisting of the most relevant international, European, and American legislative documents, case law, and other background materials. The lectures are given by internationally renowned scholars, including those of the Institute for Information Law, and practitioners who all share years of academic and practical experience in the field of international copyright law.

Create and Research with AI
2026-06-25 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Sao_Paulo) | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Can creators use AI in the creative process and still secure copyright for their work? Do researchers have access to the limitations and exceptions to copyright they need to produce new knowledge using AI ? How can the notion of JUST AI help us ensure that Intellectual Property laws serve creators, users and the broader public interest?

The Geneva Center on Knowledge Governance (CKG) and the Instituto Brasileiro de Direitos Autorais (IDBA) are sponsoring a series of meetings and events for members of the User Rights Network June 24-26, 2026, — the week prior to the ATRIP meetings in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The meetings will have a focus on the intersection of copyright and artificial intelligence, especially in the context of uses and production of AI models in developing countries. A rough draft of the agenda follows. We invite proposals to present papers or works in progress at and of the sessions, which will be revised based on the applications received.
Draft programme: June Arrangements.docx – Google Docs
Tell us what contribution you’d like to make at the meeting. Accepted presenters will be offered two nights hotel stay in Rio..

Program and Budget Committee (40th session)
2026-06-15 - 2026-06-19 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Advisory Committee on Enforcement (18th session)
2026-06-02 - 2026-06-04 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Maggie Chon, Public Lecture & cocktail (Hybrid)
2026-05-18 18:30 - 21:30 (Europe/Zurich) | Domaine Barton (Geneva Graduate Institute), Parc Mon Repos, Rue de Lausanne, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
Can we re-imagine global intellectual property (IP) frameworks to make cutting-edge scientific knowledge available and barrier-free to a majority of the world’s population.

How can generative artificial intelligence (genAI) for human language translation solve the huge disparity in access to scientific literature? While scientific talent and knowledge is distributed throughout humankind and all countries would benefit from multi-directional access to knowledge, language differences unnecessarily impede the flow of scientific exchange. For example, over 90 percent of the current scientific publications are in English but less than 25 percent of the world’s population is proficient in English.
Besides language barriers, legal barriers to scientific knowledge exchange unnecessarily perpetuate on-going inequities in the distribution of global research and development capacity because translation rights are frequently assigned to scientific publishers through copyright laws. How can these issues be addressed by changes to global legal frameworks? Can the problem be solved in a similar way to the how the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Marrakesh Treaty eventually mandated access to works for print-disabled individuals? What is the role of high-quality repositories of scientific abstracts?
Can we meet UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 (“Industry, innovation, and infrastructure”) and 17 (“Partnership for the goals”), which both concern technology?
Join Maggie Chon for an insightful evening at Villa Barton, on the lake in Parc Mon Repos.
Margaret Chon is the Faculty Director, Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics (TILE) Institute in the Donald and Lynda Horowitz Endowed Chair for the Pursuit of Justice at the SEATTLE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW. Professor Chon is also a visiting scholar at the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly
2026-05-18 08:30 - 2026-05-23 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
The World Health Assembly (WHA) is the annual decision-making meeting of the World Health Organization.

Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, SCCR (48th session)
2026-05-18 - 2026-05-22 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Committee on Development and Intellectual Property, CDIP (36th Session)
2026-05-04 - 2026-05-08

Committee of Experts of the Nice Union (36th session)
2026-04-27 - 2026-05-01

IPC Union - IPC Revision Working Group (55th session)
2026-04-27 - 2026-05-01 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Extraordinary Session of the WIPO General Assembly, Paris Union Assembly, and Berne Union Assembly to appoint the Director General
2026-04-21 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Webinar on the Limitations and Exceptions Agenda at WIPO
2026-04-09 16:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Zurich) | https://knowledgegov.org/event/webinar-preview-of-sccr-48/
The Centre on Knowledge Governance (CKG) is hosting a webinar to analyse all the documents before WIPO that could serve as a starting point for text-based work in accordance with the Work Program on Exceptions and Limitations (SCCR/43/8 Rev) adopted by the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) in 2023. See below for a list of the 3 documents to be analysed. This is an ONLINE event.

The US Documents: The United States’ proposed “Objectives and Principles for Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Archives” (SCCR/47/10) and “Objectives and Principles for Exceptions and Limitations for Educational, Teaching, and Research Institutions” (SCCR/47/9);
The African Group Proposal: The African Group’s October 7, 2025, ”Proposal on Limitations and Exceptions” (SCCR/47/5); and
The Chair’s Text: the Chair and Vice-Chair’s November 10, 2025, “Text Proposed in the Framework of Work Towards an Appropriate International Legal Instrument or Instruments on Limitations and Exceptions” (SCCR/47/8).

The core questions of the webinar will be:

How do the drafts display agreement on the subjects of a potential instrument?
What are the advantages of any of the document’s provisions and how might they be improved?
How might any of the provisions add to the history and operation of existing international copyright?

CKG will present recent research on copyright limitations and exceptions, followed by a roundtable of experts sharing views on select provisions.
Panelists will include:

Sean Flynn, CKG (Moderator), summary of recent research outputs by CKG
Jonathan Band, Counsel, CKG, comparison of the documents before the committee.
James Love, Knowledge Ecology International, the evolution of teaching and research exceptions in the Berne Convention;
Faith Majekolagbe, University of Alberta Faculty of Law, comments on the African Group Proposal
Christophe Geiger, Luiss University, Rome, preambular objectives and remuneration
Margaret Chon, Seattle University School of Law, visiting researcher, Centre on Knowledge Governance (TBC), research exceptions for access to science.
Luis Villaroel, Innovarte, Chile, proposals to guide application of the three-step test.
Teresa Nobre, Communia, comparing the African Group Proposal with EU Law.

References:

CKG, recent publications relevant to SCCR 48, https://knowledgegov.org/focus-area/wipo-negotiations/
The Berne Convention revisions for limitations and exceptions to copyright, 2012:1 KEI Research Note (August 2012. Revised June 18, 2017). https://www.keionline.org/copyright/berne-convention-exceptions-revisions
Faith O. Majekolagbe, Balancing the Global Copyright System in the Public Interest: An Analysis of the African Group’s Proposed Instrument on Limitations and Exceptions, Working Paper, 1 December 2025, https://www.southcentre.int/working-paper-1-december-2025/
Christophe Geiger, Implementing an International Instrument for Interpreting Copyright Limitations and Exceptions, International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law 40(6) (January 2009) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/43234236_Implementing_an_International_Instrument_for_Interpreting_Copyright_Limitations_and_Exceptions
Intellectual Property And The Public Interest: The Wto Trips Agreement And The Copyright Three-Step Test, Communication From South Africa, https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/IP/C/W663.pdf&Open=True

Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (49th session)
2026-03-30 - 2026-04-02 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2026-03-23 09:00 - 2026-03-28 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
The Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement is tasked with establishing an instrument for Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing as an annex to the Pandemic Agreement.

lntergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, IGC (52nd session)
2026-03-04 - 2026-03-13 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Just AI in Africa
2026-02-26 08:00 - 2026-02-28 17:00 UTC | University of Pretoria, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
The rapid growth of AI technology around the world holds the potential to improve research and innovation, but also the risk of aggravating inequality in access to information and economic opportunities. A key problem is that most of the small number of critical “foundation” and “frontier” models upon which AI applications are built are created and controlled by an even smaller number of multinational commercial technology firms. These models are rarely transparent, often culturally and linguistically biased, and have immense market power. One response to the promise and challenges, especially in the Global South and the so-called “middle powers,” is the promotion of “Public AI” — referring to government led and/or publiAt the Centre on Knowledge Governance, in consultation with other key players, we are developing a somewhat broader conception of “Just AI” that blends the desires for public accountability in Public AI with human rights concerns, including the moral and material interests of creators, the stewardship of traditional knowledge by communities and the developmental priorities of the Global South. The purpose of this series of roundtable discussions followed by a drafting retreat in the Cradle of Humankind is to produce a “zero draft” statement of experts on principles of Just AI for Africa.

IPC Union - Committee of Experts (57th session)
2026-02-24 - 2026-02-26 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Committee for Technical Cooperation (33rd session)
2026-02-16 - 2026-02-20 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

* Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Working Group (18th session)
2026-02-16 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Working Group (19th session)
2026-02-16 - 2026-02-20 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Extraordinary Session of the Coordination Committee to nominate candidate for appointment to the post of Director General of WIPO
2026-02-12 - 2026-02-13 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

Fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2026-02-09 09:00 - 2026-02-14 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland

Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System (Appellations of Origin) (7th session)
2026-02-03 - 2026-02-05 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland

World Health Organization Executive Board: 158th Session
2026-02-02 09:00 - 2026-02-07 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
The Executive Board advises the World Health Assembly in May.

African Group Retreat
2026-01-21 08:00 - 2026-01-22 17:00 UTC
Meeting of African Group delegates, hosted by the Centre on Knowledge Governance with the South Centre
To contact the Centre on Knowledge Governance to enquire about this listing or our working in general, please visit: https://knowledgegov.org/contact-us/

Public AI and Europe’s Digital Sovereignty
2026-01-13 12:30 - 14:30 (Europe/Paris) | European Parliament MEP Salon, Rue Wiertz 60, Brussels, B-1047, Belgium
How can Europe develop public AI systems that also ensure competition and sovereignty?
Join us on 13 January 2026, from 12:30 to 14:30, at the European Parliament MEP Salon in Brussels for an lunch event on Public AI and digital sovereignty. The event is co-hosted by MEP Michał Kobosko (Renew) and MEP Sergey Lagodinsky (Greens) with Bertelsmann Stiftung, Open Future, Mozilla Foundation, and Democratic Tech Alliance.
As Europe struggles with its dependency on American and Chinese AI models, our research offers an alternative vision: public AI is a vision of developing European, open source AI models that can spur innovation, support the public interest, and generate economic value. The event will discuss how public AI models and applications can be developed in the European Union, as a core component of the AI Continent Action Plan.
Public AI systems make AI capabilities openly accessible, serve the public interest, and operate under public control or ownership. These systems are essential for achieving European technological sovereignty, spurring European R&D, and generating market value as solutions that can be deployed by European businesses.
During the event, we will present examples of open source AI development and public AI solutions. We will present recommendations on how the European AI Continent Action Plan can support public AI in Europe, and discuss what more needs to be done.
We will also present our new policy brief—produced with Bertelsmann Stiftung—exploring pathways for developing public and sovereign AI solutions in Europe.
Speakers include:

MEP Michał Kobosko
MEP Sergey Lagodinsky
Grażyna Piesiewicz, Head of Unit for High Performance Computing and Applications, DG CONNECT
Nicolas Flores-Herr, Team Lead Foundation Models & Gen AI Systems, Fraunhofer Institute
Ivan Yamshchikov, Chief Product Officer, Pleias
Antoine Isaac, Europeana
Maximilian Gahntz, AI Policy Lead, Mozilla
Sebastiano Toffaletti, Secretary General, Digital SME Alliance
Raegan MacDonald, Director of Policy Leadership, AspirationTech
Alek Tarkowski, Director of Strategy, Open Future
Felix Sieker, Digitalization and Public Welfare Project Manager, Bertelsmann Stiftung

Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine
2025-12-17 09:00 - 2025-12-19 17:00 (Asia/Kolkata) | New Delhi, India, India
The second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine is titled “Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well-being.”

Centre on Knowledge Governance Launch & Reception
2025-12-03 18:00 - 21:30 (Europe/Paris) | Geneva Graduate Institute, Chem. Eugène-Rigot 2, 1202 Genève, Switzerland, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland
Why are we the Centre on “Knowledge Governance”? Is the present system of Intellectual Property working to meet people’s needs, or do we need new approaches to governing knowledge that go beyond the present limits of IP? Join our book launch, panel discussion to reflect on these questions with some of the finest minds, and celebrate the launch of the Centre with us! Doors open at 6pm for light refreshments.

6.30pm: Book Launch: “The Journey to the WIPO Treaty on Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (Policy, Process and People) ” by Wend Wendland
Wend Wendland
former Director of the Traditional Knowledge Division at WIPO and
former Secretary of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) at WIPO

H.E. Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota
Permanent Representative of Brazil to the WTO

followed by

7.10pm: Panel Discussion: Can IP respond to people’s needs in the 21st Century?
Ruth L. Okediji
Jeremiah Smith, Jr., Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Co-Director, Berkman Klein Center and Faculty Director, Center for the Study of African Societies and Economies (CSASE)

Ellen ‘t Hoen
Director, Medicines Law & Policy

Sean Flynn
Director of the Geneva Centre on Knowledge Governance

Moderated by Ben Cashdan
South African TV Producer, Former economic advisor to President Nelson Mandela

followed by

8.00pm: Reception: Finger food and drinks
Join us to celebrate the Geneva Knowledge Centre’s launch with a Swiss apéro and a chance to learn about the Centre’s agenda and priorities for 2026.

Fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement
2025-12-01 09:00 - 2025-12-05 17:00 UTC | Geneva, Geneva, 1202, Switzerland

Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights, SCCR (47th session)
2025-12-01 - 2025-12-05 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland
