On June 24 (Tuesday), the EU and Korea Shared the Current Legal Frameworks and Best Practices on Copyright Exceptions for Educational Purposes

On June 25 (Wednesday), the “Seminar on Generative AI and Copyright in the EU and Korea” was held for In-depth Discussions Among Government, Industry, and Academic Experts

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea (Minister YU In Chon, MCST) and the European Commission (President Ursula von der Leyen) jointly held the “2^nd EU-Korea Copyright Roundtable” in Brussels, Belgium on June 24 (Tuesday).

Discussions on Educational Remuneration Schemes and Areas for Cooperation on June 24

On June 24, the second EU-Korea Copyright Roundtable was held to review the legal systems and practices concerning copyright exceptions for educational purposes in the EU and Korea, and to further explore potential areas for mutual cooperation.

The session began with Mr. Jintae LEE, Director of the Deliberation and Industry Research Team at the Korea Copyright Commission (KCC), and Ms. Carla OSMAN, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s DG CNECT, introducing the legal regime of copyright exceptions for educational purposes in the EU and Korea, respectively. Following the two presentations, professor Jinwon CHOE from Daegu University outlined the current status and key issues of Korea’s educational remuneration scheme. Representatives from collective management organizations in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands then shared best practices related to the collection and distribution of remuneration for educational uses.

The panel discussion, moderated by Ms. Anneli ANDRESSON-BOURGEY, Intellectual Property Policy Officer for the Far East at the European Commission’s DG TRADE, focused on identifying areas for improvement in the collection and distribution of educational remuneration in both the EU and Korea, and on exploring cooperative strategies for mutual advancement.

Seminar on Generative AI and Copyright in the EU and Korea  Held on June 25

On June 25, the “Seminar on Generative AI and Copyright in the EU and Korea” was held in the context of the EU–RoK IP Action, a cooperation project funded and directed by the European Commission, and co-funded and implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), with support from MCST. As the EU became the first in the world to adopt the AI Act and is currently drafting its Code of Practice, the seminar offered an opportunity to learn about the latest policy updates from EU officials and gain insights from the regional AI industry.

Ms. Hyeyoon CHOI, Deputy Director of the Cultural Trade and Cooperation Division at the MCST, Ms. Yordanka IVANOVA, Head of Sector for AI Act Legal Oversight at the European Commission, and Mr. Stefano GENTILE, Legal and Policy Officer at DG CNECT, provided updates on copyright policies related to generative AI, focusing on the EU and Korea. Professor Jinwon CHOE from Daegu University delivered a presentation on key copyright issues and potential solutions in the context of generative AI. Dr. Pablo SCHUMACHER, Lead Legal Counsel at Aleph Alpha, a European AI startup, shared the industry’s perspective on the direction copyright policy should take in the EU and Korea.

Mr. Antoine AUBERT, IP Digital Specialist at the EU Observatory under the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), presented key findings from a recent EUIPO report titled “Development of Generative Artificial Intelligence from a Copyright Perspective.”

The seminar concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Professor Thomas MARGONI of KU Leuven, exploring challenges and opportunities of a new copyright governance model in the era of AI and potential directions for future cooperation between the EU and Korea.

During the afternoon session, the Korean delegation visited the AI Office of the European Commission and engaged in discussions with relevant officials. The delegation was briefed on the key elements and implementation roadmap of the Code of Practice currently under development to support the enforcement of the EU AI Act, as well as the stakeholder consultation process and its broader implications. Both parties concurred on the importance of continued information exchange and collaboration in the development of copyright policy pertaining to generative AI.