The Hellenic Copyright Organization (HCO), together with Knowledge Rights 21 (KR21), is convening a major scientific conference on the intersection of research, access to knowledge, and intellectual property law. The event, titled “Research and Intellectual Property Law”, will take place on Monday, September 29, 2025, at the Goethe-Institut Auditorium in Athens.
Organized with the support of the Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI) and the Collective Management Organization for Literary Works (ΟΣΔΕΛ – OSDEL), and under the auspices of the Law School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the conference will bring together leading voices from law, academia, and policy to examine the evolving landscape of intellectual property and Open Science in Europe.
A European Dialogue on Knowledge and Research
The conference offers a unique platform to address pressing legal and policy challenges that shape how research outputs and knowledge are shared across borders. With the European Commission placing increasing emphasis on Open Science and equitable access to information, this initiative reflects a growing recognition of the need for dialogue between intellectual property frameworks and the research community.
Among the speakers is Brewster Kahle, digital librarian and founder of the Internet Archive and Internet Archive Europe, who will deliver a talk on “Building Research Collections and Bringing them to Life” from 10:15 to 10:40. His intervention will highlight the importance of universal access to knowledge and showcase how digital libraries can empower researchers and citizens alike.
Sessions throughout the day will also explore:
- Legal and policy dimensions of access to knowledge
- The role of intellectual property in enabling or restricting Open Science
- Strategies to foster innovation, transparency, and equitable participation in European research
Closing Celebration: 1 Trillion Archived Web Pages
The conference will conclude on a festive note with the Internet Archive Europe Cocktail (16:15–17:00), celebrating a once-in-a-generation milestone. This October, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is projected to hit 1 trillion web pages archived— preserved for the public and available to access online. That’s one billion people sharing, as Brewster would say: “It just shows people are awesome!”
This closing celebration will not only mark the scale of this achievement, but also provide participants with the opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and reflect on how far the preservation of knowledge has come — and where it is heading.
Event Details
📅 Monday, September 29, 2025
🕘 9:30 a.m. – 17:00 p.m.
📍 Goethe-Institut Auditorium, 14–16 Omirou Street, Athens
🔗 Register here
🔗 View the conference program
