When algorithms generate ideas, who owns them? Lawyers, designers, and technologists face up to the future of intellectual property – debating whether copyright is a protectionist anachronism that is stifling collaboration or a lifeline for marginalised creators, and whether open-source frameworks can co-exist with fair compensation. Speakers include Dafydd Bevan, a partner in law firm Marks & Clerk, who advises clients on the enforcement and commercialisation of intellectual property; Christian Zimmermann, CEO of the Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), which is dedicated to championing, protecting and managing the rights of artists, and maximising their royalties; Daljit Singh, head of brand at Exactly.ai, an AI platform that aims to help illustrators and designers train models on their own work and thereby put creative control back in their hands; and Agnieszka Glowacka, COO of Haptic Architects London, who leads on some of the practice’s cultural projects, sits on the internal design review panel and teaches at the Bartlett, UCL, on the multidisciplinary Engineering and Architectural Design MEng course. The session will be chaired by technology entrepreneur and creative leader Suhair Khan.
Location: The Great Hall, King's College, London
This edition of the Global Design Forum is supported by our Digital Media Partner, STIR.
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PARTNER
Marks & Clerk is a leading intellectual property firm providing advice to clients on all aspects of IP. Innovation is the life-blood of business and we help you navigate the complexities of patents, trademarks, registered designs and copyright. From the capture of an idea, to the enforcement and defence of rights, Marks & Clerk is your expert partner to ensure your IP is protected and fully exploited.
SPEAKERS
Dafydd Bevan is a partner in law firm Marks & Clerk. He advises clients on the enforcement and commercialisation of intellectual property. He has particular experience of strategic advice on the litigation and licensing of TMT, electronics and software patents, regularly advising clients on such cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal. He has a broad range of experience, which, in the technology sector, includes advising on patents in fields such as software, broadcasting, graphical user interfaces, mobile telephony, network communications and internet applications. This includes recent and ongoing advice on FRAND and SEP licensing issues and related litigation.
Christian Zimmermann is chief executive of DACS. He has spent his career protecting artists’ rights, having worked at DACS for 18 years. He is a qualified solicitor in the UK and Germany with a Masters in Intellectual Property Law. Before joining DACS in 2006, he worked at the Association of Photographers (AOP). As a skilled and experienced negotiator, Christian has defended and advocated for artists’ rights throughout his career. He led negotiations with the government to fully implement the Artist’s Resale Right in 2012, which culminated in more artists and beneficiaries being able to benefit from the Right in the long term. He also steered DACS through an industry-wide valuation with the Copyright Licensing Agency to protect visual artists' share of collecting licensing revenue. Christian is Vice Chair of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations' (IFRRO) Visual Working Group. He is a Member Director of Online Art and the Educational Recording Agency (ERA). He is also a Member of the CISAC Regional European Committee and is on the Editorial and Advisory Board for Journal for IP Protection. Christian is also an Observer Member Representative at the European Visual Artists (EVA) Board and Observer Member on Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) Board.
Agnieszka Glowacka is a qualified architect and has worked in the industry for 25 years. Agnieszka joined Haptic Architects in May 2018 as Associate Director and COO of the London studio. She leads on some of the practice’s cultural projects and sits on the internal design review panel. Agnieszka also teaches at the Bartlett, UCL co-leading a design unit on behalf of Haptic on the innovative multidisciplinary Engineering and Architectural Design MEng course. As COO of Haptic London Agnieszka sits on the Board and works with the wider leadership team in both London and Oslo to identify and implement improvements in company processes and activities. She was also a former judge of the Davidson Prize, an annual competition that invites multi-disciplinary teams to imagine and visualise the future of home
Daljit Singh co-founded ANNA – an AI-powered banking and tax app – and is now Head of Brand at Exactly.ai, the ethical AI platform helping illustrators and designers train models on their own work, putting creative control back in the hands of the people who made it. He previously founded the digital agency Digit (acquired by WPP), co-founded Conran Singh with Sir Terence Conran, and was Global Head of Design Strategy at Accenture, shaping brands like Audi, HSBC and Microsoft. Named twice in the FT’s Top 50 Creative Minds, he’s exhibited at the V&A and Design Museum, spoken at London’s AI Summit and Cape Town’s Design Indaba, and launched everything from British-Indian sausages to a ring powered by white dwarf stars. He’s won a D&AD Black Pencil, two BAFTAs, and served on boards including the National Youth Theatre and the 2012 Olympic Legacy Trust.
Suhair Khan (chair) is a creative leader and entrepreneur connecting culture and technology. About Suhair Khan is a technology entrepreneur and creative leader. She is the founder of open-ended , a platform and incubator for creative technologists working with artificial intelligence. Her work centers on impact-driven work at the intersection of design, culture and future-facing technology. In over a decade at Google and Google Arts & Culture, Suhair led initiatives which merged cutting-edge technologies with arts, design, culture, education and environmental sustainability. She is chair of the board of trustees of dance choreographer Studio Wayne McGregor, and is on advisory boards for the Design Museum, British Library, Sadler’s Wells, London Design Biennale and the Hay Festival.
