Celebrating 50 years of the German Copyright Act at ALAI

As the native city of composer Ludwig van Beethoven, Bonn seems to be an appropriate location for a meeting of the International Literary and Artistic Association (ALAI); a society dedicated to protecting the interests of creative individuals. ALAI has roots in the 19th century, when in 1878 the French writer Victor Hugo founded the society in order to promote recognition of the legal protection of authors for their intellectual work. Today, the main focus of ALAI is hosting congresses dedicated to analysing current copyright laws and issues.

From the 18th to the 20th of June, Bonn is set to host the 2015 ALAI International Congress. The venue was chosen to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Germany Copyright Act, which in 1965 took an unprecedented approach to copyright legislation, and established law based on collective remuneration systems for right holders. This approach to copyright law has proven its sustained utility in the modern digital age.

The congress programme runs over two days. On Thursday 18th June, discussion will focus on how to further improve the current system to ensure that copyright will act not to hamper development, but to promote it. On Friday 19th June, the discussion will be centred on the latest business models, and different types of use will be analysed to identify the challenges these pose for both law makers and legal practitioners.

Saturday 20th June offers the chance to join a post-congress tour, which will take delegates to the famous Brühl Palaces, Augustusburg and Falkenlust, with their extensive gardens and park grounds. The palaces are protected as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Following this will be a tour of the city of Brühl.

For those who would rather remain in Bonn itself, there will be plenty to explore in the city. Here is a selection of the city’s highlights that are not to be missed:

• The Bonn Minster is a Roman Catholic Church in the city, and is one of Germany’s oldest churches, having been built between the 11th and 13th centuries.
• Poppelsdorf Palace is an impressive Baroque building in the Poppelsdorf district of Bonn, and is now part of the University of Bonn.
• August-Macke-Haus is a museum opened in 1991, dedicated to the expressionist painter August Macke. It is located in Macke’s former home, where he lived from 1911 to 1914.
• The Kunstmuseum Bonn or Bonn Museum of Modern Art is an art museum, which often holds temporary exhibitions in addition to its own collection which is focused on Rhenish Expressionism and post-war German art.
• For some fresh country air, consider exploring the Rheinhöhenweg Trail, which is a popular hiking trail on the mountains of the Rhine Valley. It leads from the Lower Rhine in Bonn passing the Loreley up to the Upper Rhine.

If you are attending the conference, keep an eye out for the Oxford University Press stall, where we will have a wide selection of our law books on display. Our books will be available for purchase at a special conference discount of 20% off.

For updates from the congress, follow us @OUPCommLaw on Twitter.

We look forward to seeing you in Bonn!

Featured image: “Morning has broken”, by Matthias Zepper. CC-BY-2.0 via Flickr.