The emergence of the metaverse has opened new horizons for the dissemination of IP content, whilst constituting a new platform for artistic expression in the digital age. Yet when it comes to appropriating copyright or trade mark content in a metaverse context, the balancing exercise between rightsholders' and artists' rights becomes complex. Importantly, digitising, minting and publicly sharing protected content in NFT format does not equal to immunisation from infringement.  

In this webinar,  Dr. Ioanna Lapatoura, Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Leeds, will explore these issues through two recent cases that illustrate the complexity in invoking artistic expression for the application of copyright exceptions and trade mark defences in such context, through the lens of European IP law.