The rapid evolution of generative artificial intelligence has profoundly transformed the processes of creation, production, circulation, and exploitation of intellectual content — and copyright, which historically has been shaped around the figure of the human creator, currently faces one of its greatest adaptation tests.
To discuss these issues, the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) will promote on July 2, 2026 another edition of the PI em Questão seminar, which will have as its central theme: “Copyright in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Innovation, Creativity, and Regulation”. The event will be bilingual (Portuguese and English), with in-person participation at the INPI auditorium in Rio de Janeiro, and live streaming on YouTube. Registration is free.
What is at stake in the debate on AI and copyright
The seminar addresses three central issues that are at the core of global discussions on intellectual property and artificial intelligence:
Authorship of works created with AI assistance. When a generative AI system — be it a language model, an image generator, or a musical composer — produces a work, who can be considered the author? The user who provided the prompts? The model developer? Or is the work simply not protected due to the absence of human creation? Brazilian legislation, like most legal systems, requires the figure of a human author for copyright protection. But the line between “tool” and “creator” is increasingly thin.
Use of protected works for model training. One of the most heated debates today is whether training AI models with works protected by copyright constitutes infringement. Technology companies have used vast catalogs of texts, images, and music to train their models — often without authorization from rights holders. The creative industry (publishers, record labels, studios) has reacted with lawsuits in the United States and Europe, and Brazil is beginning to enter this discussion.
Regulatory challenges. How to balance the promotion of AI innovation with the protection of creators’ rights? Different jurisdictions have adopted distinct approaches — from the American fair use policy to the Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market of the European Union. Brazil, which is discussing its own regulatory framework for AI (PL 2.338/2023), needs to define which path it will follow.
Who participates in the debate
The PI em Questão will feature two prominent speakers:
Zvi Rosen, professor at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law (United States) and member of the Franklin Pierce Society for Intellectual Property, will bring the perspective of American law, where litigation on AI and copyright is already underway — including the cases The New York Times × OpenAI and Getty Images × Stability AI, which may set global precedents.
Allan Rocha de Souza, professor at UFRJ and president of the Brazilian Institute of Copyright (IBDA), will address the state of the art in Brazil, including discussions on the reform of the Copyright Law (Law 9.610/1998) and proposals currently under consideration in Congress.
The moderation will be conducted by Patricia Carvalho da Rocha Porto, professor of the Postgraduate Program in Intellectual Property and Innovation at the INPI Academy.
The global context: WIPO launches initiative on AI and IP
The INPI seminar takes place at a time of intense international activity. In March 2026, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Interchange (AIII), an initiative that brings together more than 90 experts from dozens of countries to discuss technical and operational issues at the intersection of AI and IP.
In the words of WIPO Director-General, Daren Tang: “AI has the power to change the nature of innovation and creativity. This poses challenges to the global IP ecosystem, but also gives us the opportunity to identify and seize new opportunities.”
The AIII is conducting an unprecedented mapping of existing copyright infrastructure and the technical challenges arising from AI, with preliminary results expected by October 2026.
Why this debate matters for Brazil
Brazil holds a peculiar position in the global debate on AI and copyright. On one hand, the country has a vibrant creative ecosystem (music, audiovisual, editorial) whose rights holders demand protection. On the other hand, Congress is discussing a legal framework for AI that can directly influence how models are trained and how AI-generated works are treated.
INPI, traditionally focused on patents and trademarks, has expanded its role in copyright issues — a move that reflects the growing convergence between different intellectual property regimes in the digital age. The PI em Questão seminar is part of this effort to qualify the debate with evidence and comparative perspectives.
For technology companies, IP law firms, content creators, and legal professionals, the event on July 2 is a rare opportunity to hear two of the leading experts on the topic — one Brazilian and one American — discussing the direction of regulation in real time.
How to participate
- Date: July 2, 2026, at 10 AM
- Location: INPI Auditorium — Rua Mayrink Veiga, 9, Centro, Rio de Janeiro
- Free registration: Even3
- Live stream: INPI’s YouTube Channel
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You can get in touch to discuss this and other topics at the email [email protected]