16 September 2025
Reflections on ATRIP and EPIP 2025: Copyright, Brexit, and Digital Justice
By Naomi Korn, CEO
This Autumn, I had the privilege of presenting my PhD research at two leading international intellectual property conferences:
– ATRIP 2025 (Association for Teaching and Research In Intellectual Property), a global network of scholars exploring international copyright and IP law which was hosted at the University of Copenhagen https://atrip.org
– EPIP 2025 (European Policy for Intellectual Property), a major European forum connecting researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss IP policy, innovation, and law which was hosted at the University of Antwerp https://epip2025.eu/
Dr Smita Kheria and I presented findings from my interdisciplinary PhD research at the University of Edinburgh, supervised by Professor Melissa Terras (School of Art) and Dr Smita Kheria (School of Law). My research explores the intersection of copyright, Brexit and digital justice. The presentations, based on my empirical research, examined the impact of the UK’s post-Brexit copyright landscape within the context of orphan works (copyright works for which the rights holders are unknown or cannot be traced), the revocation of the orphan works exception and the British Library’s subsequent removal of the online Spare Rib archive.
The lively discussions that followed our presentation underscores how copyright policy decisions should be shaped by real-world need, highlighting the function of practice over policy to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion in the digital space.
Access the ATRIP 2025 conference booklet here: https://atrip.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/ATRIP-Annual-Congress-Report-2025.pdf
Looking Ahead
Presenting at both ATRIP and EPIP in the same season allowed me to connect academic research with practical policy debates. I’m very grateful to my PhD supervisors for their continual support and wisdom as I proceed along my research journey. I am also most appreciative to the ATRIP and EPIP Conference organisers for the opportunity for us to present and receive peer-review and reflection.