1 CONFERENCE THEME

Innovation and Copyright in the Asia-Pacific: Regional Developments, Global Debates

Innovation is reshaping the environment in which copyright operates. New technologies, evolving business models, changing patterns of authorship and dissemination, and new expectations around access and use are testing the assumptions that have long underpinned copyright law. In this context, copyright is no longer concerned only with the protection of conventional creative works. It is increasingly implicated in wider questions about technological development, market organisation, cultural participation, sustainability, consumer interests, and the public interest.

The 2026 APCA Annual Conference invites papers exploring how copyright law responds to innovation across creative, technological, commercial, cultural and social contexts, with particular attention to the Asia-Pacific region and its place within broader global developments. Relevant issues include the implications of artificial intelligence, digital platforms, data-driven production, and new licensing environments, as well as emerging debates around repair, interoperability, sustainability, and user access in software-enabled and connected products. It also includes questions about how copyright frameworks can accommodate cultural diversity, educational needs, accessibility, and the protection of traditional and community-based knowledge in rapidly changing technological and economic conditions.

The Asia-Pacific provides a particularly valuable setting for these discussions. Its jurisdictions reflect different legal traditions, regulatory priorities, economic conditions, and levels of technological development. These differences create a dynamic background for examining how copyright systems adapt to innovation in distinct ways, and how regional experience can contribute to wider international debates.

We welcome abstracts adopting doctrinal, comparative, theoretical, interdisciplinary, empirical, or policy-oriented approaches.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

innovation and the future development of copyright law and policy;
copyright and artificial intelligence, including training, generation, authorship, and liability;
copyright and digital platforms, online dissemination, and intermediary governance;
new business models, licensing practices, and digital content markets;
copyright, software, and innovation in connected and digital products;
copyright, technical protection measures, interoperability, and the right to repair;
copyright, consumer interests, sustainability, and aftermarket uses of technology;
limitations and exceptions in support of research, education, libraries, archives, and innovation;
copyright and access to knowledge in digital environments;
traditional cultural expressions, Indigenous knowledge, and innovation in cultural production;
comparative and international responses to copyright reform in the Asia-Pacific and beyond;
enforcement, automation, proportionality, and procedural fairness in copyright disputes.

2 CONFERENCE DETAILS

2.1 Format and Presentation

The Conference will be conducted exclusively in person and will feature keynote speeches, plenary sessions, and panel discussions. This format is designed to ensure maximum participation by all speakers and attendees with adequate time for discussions.

2.2 Dates

27-28 October 2026

2.3 Venue and Accommodation

The Conference will be hosted at the University of Auckland’s City Campus in the centre of New Zealand’s largest city. Its central location provides easy access to hotels, public transport, restaurants, and Auckland’s harbour, galleries, and other key attractions.

3 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

APCA invites scholars at all levels to submit their paper proposals. We aim to achieve diverse representation across the Asian Pacific region.

Abstract Submission: Please submit an abstract of up to 300 words, including the author’s name, title, and aﬀiliation, with the email subject: APCA2026 – [Name] submission

Deadline: 20 July 2026 (rolling acceptance)

Submission Email: conference@apcacopyright.org

We look forward to your participation and to welcoming you to Auckland in the spring of 2026.

Professor Tianxiang HE

President, APCA

Associate Professor, School of Law

City University of Hong Kong

Dr. Bram Van Wiele

Conference Convenor & Treasurer, APCA

Senior Lecturer, Department of Commercial Law

University of Auckland

Contact the host of 2026 APCA Annual Conference

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