Copyright on Trial in the AI Era: Defending Companies, Protecting Creators, and Managing Litigation Risks

Chirag Shah | University of Washington

Chirag Shah is Professor of Information and Computer Science at University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. He is the Founding Director for InfoSeeking Lab and Founding Co-Director of Center for Responsibility in AI Systems & Experiences (RAISE). His research focuses on building, auditing, and correcting agentic information access systems. Shah is a Distinguished Member of ACM as well as ASIS&T, and a Senior Member of IEEE. He has published nearly 200 peer-reviewed articles and authored eight books, including textbooks on data science and machine learning. He also works closely with industrial research labs on cutting-edge problems, typically as a visiting researcher. The most recent engagements include Amazon, ByteDance, Getty Images, Microsoft Research, and Spotify.

Catherine Stihler | Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay

Catherine Stihler is a distinguished international leader in open technology, advocacy, and affordable home ownership. Renowned for her ability to build strategic partnerships and lead transformative campaigns, she has guided global organizations to meaningful impact and long-term success.

Catherine has served as CEO of two major international nonprofits, the Open Knowledge Foundation and Creative Commons. Under her leadership, both organizations achieved significant growth, strengthened global reach, and advanced their missions through innovative partnerships and fundraising success.

A prominent voice in the field of public interest AI, Catherine has contributed to the Governor of Pennsylvania’s AI Task Force, collaborated with the World Economic Forum’s AI Alliance, and advised the U.S. National AI Committee. She also serves on the Filecoin Advisory Board and is a 2024 Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) Ambassador, positioning her at the intersection of AI, blockchain, and responsible governance.

In 2024, Catherine founded Veda Insights LLC, providing strategic advisory services to executives and boards navigating technology and regulatory disruption. She also advises Vero AI, the startup behind the Iris platform and Violet impact framework, helping to shape ethical, human-centered AI innovation.

With more than two decades of experience shaping European policy, Catherine brings unique expertise in bridging regulation and innovation. She helps organizations achieve bold, impactful goals while ensuring compliance with complex international frameworks.

In July 2024, Catherine became CEO of Habitat for Humanity Monterey Bay, where she leads efforts to expand affordable home ownership and strengthen community resilience in her adopted home.

Ana Juneja | Ana Law

As an award-winning intellectual property attorney and the founder of Ana Law®, Ana Juneja helps celebrities, athletes, influencers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and corporations secure + monetize their brands and ideas in the US and abroad.

Ana Law® is the first and only law firm that offers flat-fee, 100% guaranteed patent, trademark, and copyright services. Ana has a 100% success rate and often speaks on important topics such as emerging legal issues surrounding security, AI, and social media.

Additionally, Ana has extensive experience with social media intellectual property infringement issues. Ana’s insider connections with premier media agencies allow her to have direct access to key social media platforms, such as Meta (Facebook/Instagram), TikTok, and Twitter. These essential services are an important component of the brand protection strategy for Ana’s celebrity, athlete, & influencer clients.

Hemant Gupta | Epstein Becker & Green, P.C

When health care systems, AI health care innovators, and major brands face complex challenges in technology transactions, data ownership, and intellectual property (IP) protection, they turn to attorney Hemant Gupta. With a distinctive blend of technical experience and business acumen, Hemant advises clients at the intersection of health care, technology, and law—helping organizations commercialize digital health solutions while safeguarding their most valuable assets.

Hemant’s practice spans strategic IP portfolio management, brand protection, and health care technology transactions. He manages trademark and patent portfolios for major companies, guiding marketing teams and business leaders through IP acquisition, enforcement, and protection strategies that deliver real-world value.

In the health care technology space, Hemant structures and negotiates critical agreements, including AI integration contracts, IP clearances, data licensing and sharing arrangements, clinical collaboration agreements, and SaaS and cloud computing contracts. Drawing on his graduate training in molecular biology and prior career in cancer research at a leading children’s hospital, he brings unique insight into both the science and regulation of health care technology.

As AI reshapes health care delivery, Hemant counsels software vendors and health systems on legal frameworks for AI implementation, training data ownership, algorithm development, and compliance strategies. His experience as a programmer and systems administrator—combined with certifications in data privacy and cybersecurity—makes him a trusted advisor for clients deploying emerging technologies in sensitive regulatory environments.

Health care technology companies also rely on Hemant to structure their IP and technology assets for maximum value in strategic corporate transactions, investment, and acquisition. He has deep experience in designing commercialization programs, negotiating enterprise software agreements, and developing global IP strategies that align with corporate growth objectives.

Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Hemant served as a partner at a national technology law firm and as IP Group leader at an international firm. He is also active in the health care innovation ecosystem, working with accelerators in the digital health and medical device sectors.

Session I – Copyright Litigation in the Age of Generative AI: Technical, Corporate, and Creator Perspectives | 1:00pm – 3:10pm

• AI synopsis, its capabilities and limitations
• Technical explanation of how generative AI tools produce content
• Examples of creative content generation and legal challenges
• Essential copyright concepts for AI context (substantial similarity, fair use, derivative works)
• Key pending litigation and their potential implications
• How traditional copyright doctrines are being tested by AI technology
• Evaluating AI platforms based on training data sources

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

• Contractual protection and red flags in vendor agreements
• Proactive risk mitigation: Corporate AI usage policies, monitoring systems, and response protocols
• How plaintiffs and rights holders frame copyright claims against AI developers and platforms
• Fair use arguments from the plaintiff’s side (why training may not be transformative, market harm, etc.)
• Strategies for demonstrating infringement, substantial similarity, or lost licensing opportunities
• The kinds of creators and industries most directly affected (authors, artists, software developers, etc.)
• Litigation and settlement dynamics when creators challenge AI companies

Break | 3:10pm – 3:20pm

Session II – Reimagining Copyright in the Age of AI: A Path to Creative Renewal or Restriction? | 3:20pm – 3:50pm

• Copyright reform and AI
  • Understanding recent legal updates, the evolving standards for AI-generated works, and the flexibility of existing copyright law
• Public interest AI and community response
  • How current discussions are shaping public interest policy, balancing creator agency with access to knowledge
• Navigating public Interest and innovation
  • Frameworks for integrating AI with copyright law to serve cultural production, accessibility, and the broader public interest