Committee publications
AI and copyright: the legal landscape in China
This article systematically examines China’s existing legal framework at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright, covering rules governing training data, the eligibility of AI-generated content for copyright protection, infringement liability and the application of trade secrets law to protect AI-related assets.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
Digital twin theory: when does a digital twin become a commercial asset?
For centuries, identity has been recognised through physical presence and official records. A passport tells governments who we are, a signature expresses our consent, a photograph captures a moment in our lives and, together, these elements have helped identify one person from another. Today, another form of identity is rapidly emerging. This article explores the concept of the ‘digital twin theory’ and explores the legal issues surrounding it.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
Japan’s AI-training exception: Article 30-4 and the limits of creator-specific generative AI
Japan’s Article 30-4 of the Copyright Act is widely cited as one of the broadest statutory exceptions for artificial intelligence (AI) training, permitting uses of copyrighted works for machine learning and other ‘non-enjoyment’ purposes without the rightsholder’s consent and without a general statutory opt-out mechanism equivalent to that under the European Union’s framework. This article explains why that description, while broadly accurate, is increasingly incomplete. Materials produced by the Agency for Cultural Affairs addressing creator-specific fine tuning and low-rank adaptation (LoRA)-type ‘overlearning’ show that the exception recedes where an enjoyment purpose coexists with data analysis, and pending litigation against Perplexity AI by Japan’s major newspaper publishers illustrates that lawful training does not resolve output-stage and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)-related liability. Situating these developments within Japan’s evolving AI governance framework, the article closes with the practical implications for foreign counsel advising clients with Japan-related exposure.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
New developments in AI regulation in Ukraine: cybersecurity recommendations for AI-powered systems
This paper analyses Ukraine’s newly adopted recommendations on cybersecurity for information and communication systems using artificial intelligence (AI). It outlines their scope, key cybersecurity measures and AI-specific risk management approaches and considers their significance for the development of Ukraine’s AI regulatory framework.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
Artificial intelligence and copyright in Australia: from consultation to commitment
Over the past 12 months Australia has moved from open-ended consultation to firm commitment on the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), rejecting a text and data mining exception to copyright infringement and announcing a mandatory national AI framework with express protections for rightsholders. This article surveys key recent developments, including the Productivity Commission’s reports, the government’s announcement on the creation of Australian AI standards and a new Office of AI in July 2026 and the doctrinal questions that remain unresolved.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
Artificial intelligence and intellectual property rights: a Chinese perspective
This article examines how Chinese copyright, patent, data protection and trade secrets law approaches artificial intelligence (AI), showing that Chinese courts and regulators consistently insist on human authorship and inventorship, while relying on data governance rules and trade secrecy to govern AI training and outputs. This policy-driven framework is still evolving and is closely tied to China’s broader industrial and data governance strategy.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
The machine and the muse: what French law actually does to artificial intelligence
French intellectual property (IP) law offers a coherent set of rights capable of reaching generative artificial intelligence (AI) models, but currently lacks the evidentiary grip to enforce them against systems designed for opacity. This article examines the text-and-data mining exemption’s structural fault lines, the liability exposure accumulating across content categories, the bar excluding AI from authorship and inventorship under French doctrine and three developments expected to shift the terrain by the end of 2026: the Darcos bill, the Budapest referral and the European Union’s AI Act.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
Copyright’s silent frontier: AI memorisation, inference and retrieval-augmented generation
This article examines the copyright risk attached to artificial intelligence (AI) systems during their operation rather than training, focusing on three under-explored phenomena: model memorisation, the capacity of AI weights to encode and reproduce protected expression; inference itself, the act of running an already trained model to generate outputs; and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which causes systems to retrieve, load and process third-party content in inference time. None of these three phenomena fits comfortably within existing EU or national copyright exceptions, and it is the operation of the model, in all three forms, rather than model training, that is expected to drive the next wave of AI copyright litigation.
Released on Oct 13, 2026
The overlap between Singapore copyright law and AI governance
This article examines key aspects of the Singapore Copyright Act 2021 that permit artificial intelligence (AI)-related uses of copyrighted works in Singapore that may otherwise be deemed to be copyright infringement. It then analyses how AI governance compliance can help in regard to the application of copyright-related provisions in cases involving AI-related copyright infringement.
Released on Oct 10, 2026
Highlights from the 11th World Women Lawyers’ Conference
June saw the 11th World Women Lawyers’ Conference take place in Lisbon, Portugal. It brought together over 150 lawyers from across the globe, with a breadth of practice areas and sectors. We were treated to two days of lively discussions, engaging speakers and wonderful hospitality, organised by the host committee comprising several Portuguese law firms.
Released on Oct 9, 2026
Why the EU’s simplification of digital rules turned out to be not so simple
For the past two and a half years – since the European Commission took office on 1 December 2024 – its digital policy has been increasingly inspired by two principles: simplification and enhancing European competitiveness. This article analyses how and why the first principle has been so difficult to achieve and how this has effected European businesses.
Released on Oct 9, 2026
Join us in Paris for the 9th Annual IBA European Startup Conference
Are you passionate about startups, venture capital and the future of innovation in Europe? Then save the date: the 9th Annual International Bar Association (IBA) European Startup Conference is coming to Paris on 13 November 2026, at the beautiful Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel Hotel. Presented by the IBA European Regional Forum, with the support of the IBA Closely Held Companies Committee and the IBA Corporate Counsel Forum, this is the must-attend event for lawyers, investors, founders and anyone working in the startup world.
Released on Oct 9, 2026
ERF Next Gen Law Working Party: relaunching a community for the future of law
As the legal profession continues to evolve at pace, the IBA European Regional Forum is placing renewed focus on the next generation of lawyers and the future of legal practice through the relaunch of the Next Gen Law Working Party.
Released on Oct 9, 2026
12th Annual IBA World Life Sciences Conference: navigating change in a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape
The 12th Annual International Bar Association World Life Sciences Conference, held in Lisbon on 3–5 June 2026, once again brought together leading legal practitioners, in-house counsel, regulators and industry representatives from across the globe to discuss the legal and regulatory developments shaping the healthcare and life sciences sector.
Released on Oct 8, 2026
Highlights from the 13th Balkan Legal Forum
The 13th Balkan Legal Forum took place on 25–26 June 2026 in Vienna, Austria. Organised by the IBA Law Firm Management Committee, the IBA European Regional Forum and the Legal Development Foundation. The Forum is a much-anticipated fixture in the calendar of lawyers operating in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and beyond.
Released on Oct 8, 2026
Pillar Two and CAMT: competing paradigms for minimum taxation
Minimum taxation has moved beyond a technical exercise and is now reshaping deal structuring, headquarters decisions and tax risk management. This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome discussed how the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Pillar Two framework (including the side‑by‑side package), the US Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (CAMT) and emerging UN‑led initiatives are redefining the international minimum tax landscape.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
The future of tax disputes and investment treaties
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome examined the developing intersection between investment treaties and tax disputes, the relationship between tax treaties and the General Agreement on Trade in Services dispute resolution, and recent developments in Mutual Agreement Procedure, including the 2026 Manual on Effective Mutual Agreement Procedures, domestic case law on the interplay between MAP and national court proceedings, as well as the evolving role of alternative dispute resolution in cross-border tax cases.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Economic substance and GAAR: everything everywhere all at once
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome focused on the application of GAAR and the absence of economic substance by tax authorities in several countries, in particular Denmark, Spain, Canada, India and the United States, and analysed recent trends regarding the approach of tax authorities and rulings by various courts.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Tariffs! Customs, transfer pricing and supply chain implications
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome examined recent developments in US tariff policy and their interaction with transfer pricing and supply chain structuring. The discussion covered the legal basis of tariffs, recent court judgments, taxpayer responses and practical issues relating to tariff refunds.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Global mobility and investment funds
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome discussed the increasing importance of global mobility in the context of investment funds, focusing on the tax implications of cross-border movement of fund managers, investors and fund structures. The discussion highlighted that mobility is no longer limited to the relocation of fund entities but increasingly involves individual mobility, remote working, investor changes and structural evolution of funds.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
M&A hot tax topics
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome addressed current tax issues relevant to cross-border M&A transactions. Based on perspectives from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands, the Co-Chairs and speakers elaborated on relevant case law, recent legislative and administrative developments, and practical deal experience.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Don’t lose your losses: an update on NOL planning
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome focused on recent developments and practical planning considerations surrounding the use and preservation of net operating losses (NOLs) in cross-border structures, in particular, from a German, Italian, Dutch, Swiss and United States tax perspective. The speakers discussed limitations on loss utilisation, ownership changes, group relief regimes and the impact of re-organisations and M&A transactions in key jurisdictions. The discussion also highlighted emerging anti-abuse rules and the interaction of domestic NOL regimes with international tax reforms.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Emerging company tax issues: from startup to scale
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome explored tax issues arising at every stage of a high-growth company’s lifecycle.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Hot topics in tax treaties
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome discussed recent developments in tax treaty policy and practice, focusing on the growing divergence between the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and UN approaches, the 2025 update to the OECD Model Tax Convention, selected treaty cases and domestic developments, anti-abuse rules and recent trends in mutual agreement procedures. The discussion combined multilateral developments with practical examples from the UK, US, Portugal, Italy and Austria.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Tax insurance in cross-border transactions and structures
This panel at the IBA’s 26th Annual US and Europe Tax Practice Trends Conference in Rome provided a comprehensive overview of tax insurance as a risk management tool in cross-border transactions and structures. The session covered the key product types available in the market, the roles of the principal players – brokers, insurers and advisers – and the underwriting process.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
AI in action: use cases, risks and governance in Colombia
This article addresses the legal challenges faced by companies in Colombia adopting AI tools, including regulatory frameworks, practical legal risks across multiple business applications and corporate governance recommendations for responsible AI implementation. It offers a structured approach for organisations navigating an evolving regulatory landscape while seeking to adopt AI strategically and responsibly.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Legal ethics in an age of disruption
This article examines the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in legal practice, the risks of deskilling and the increasing tension between efficiency, supervision and professional responsibility. Namely: (1) AI is a tool, not a substitute for professional oversight, and ethical boundaries are crossed when reliance on technology displaces independent judgment; (2) digital visibility and professional branding are not the same as credibility; (3) over-reliance on AI risks deskilling junior lawyers and eroding future professional standards; and (4) legal services are not commodity production; verification and supervision are essential risk management measures.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Artificial intelligence in regulatory and environmental law practice: beyond contract automation
Artificial intelligence is reshaping regulatory and environmental law practice far beyond contract automation, enabling real-time regulatory monitoring, satellite-based environmental enforcement and predictive compliance analytics. Legal practitioners who fail to engage with these tools risk not only operational inefficiency but also a fundamental misunderstanding of the new landscape in which their clients operate.
Released on Oct 6, 2026
Latin American Regional Forum – From the Editors – October 2026
A note from Mariano Batalla, Young Lawyers Initiatives Officer, IBA Latin American Regional Forum
Released on Oct 5, 2026
Conference report: Mergers and acquisitions in Latin America – building bridges through business: rethinking M&A in Latin America
A conference report about Mergers and acquisitions in Latin America – building bridges through business: rethinking M&A in Latin America, which took place from 23-25 March 2026.
Released on Oct 5, 2026