Open Access Week 2025

Open Access Week runs from 20–26 October 2025. Our experts will visit your institute to answer your questions, and on 22 October, lawyer David Rosenthal will deliver a keynote on copyright and AI training. Don’t miss this chance to join onsite or online!

Keynote talk - AI & copyright: friends or foes?

Date & Time: Wednesday, 22 October 2024, 14:00 - 15:00
Location: Eawag Dübendorf, Forum Chriesbach FC-C20 and Zoom.

Join now Add to calender

“Who owns our knowledge?” – The motto of this year’s Open Access Week raises a question that has been at the core of the Open Access movement. The rise of AI and large language model (LLM) training and use brings a new urgency to this question. In this talk, David Rosenthal will share his perspective as expert lawyer on this field. Specifically, he will focus on on the how today's copyright law deals the training of large language models with third party content (what is permitted?), how well copyright law is prepared for fairly balancing the interests of rights holders models and those using AI and what we have to expect from a legal point of view.

Speaker: David Rosenthal counts to the leading experts in Data and Technology law in Switzerland and is partner at the Swiss law firm Vischer. His view on the topic is broadened also by his earlier work as software developer, journalist and legal advisor.

In several blog entries, he and his colleagues focus specifically on the interplay of AI/LLM use with Swiss and EU copyright, data, and privacy laws. In cooperation with the ETH AI center, they also authored a detailed legal analysis about LLM training with regard to the Swiss legal system. On behalf of the Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries, he played a key role in shaping the AI clause in the publishing agreement with Wiley, signed earlier this year. 

His publication on challenges for media houses in an era of 'agentic AI' services even led to discussions in the Swiss National Council on how to amend Swiss copyright law.

Information booths

Any questions on Open Access? Our experts are happy to help you! Find our information booth in your institution:

  • WSL: Thursday, 16.10. next to staff restaurant
  • PSI: Friday, 17.10. in front of OASE restaurant entrance
  • Empa: Monday, 20.10., next to Fire
  • Eawag: Tuesday, 21.10., next to Aqa

On each day we are there from 11:30 to 14:00.

International graphic

Background

The International Open Access Week takes place annually in October. Special events in the participating institutions highlight the importance of Open Access for global equality of knowledge. This year's overarching theme tackles especially the question "how, in a time of disruption, communities can reassert control over the knowledge they produce."

Further events by other institutions

Recordings of previous years