London, UK
Research & talks

The Romantic History of Copyright

Hosted by Gresham College

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The Romantic History of Copyright event artwork
The gathering

What to look forward to

The lecture will trace how today’s AI copyright fight between Big Tech and creators grew from older debates about ownership and creativity. It will also unpack the enduring “romantic” myth of the author.

From the organizer

Inside the event

Today, a copyright fight is underway: between big technology companies that need lots of data to train their AI models and creators who do not want to give that data up for free. But the concept of ‘copyright’ is an old one.

This lecture explores the surprisingly long history of copyright, the competing justifications for it, the strange economic properties of ideas that complicate these arguments, and the ‘romantic vision’ of the author that appears – mistakenly – to resolve many difficulties.

A lecture by Professor Daniel Susskind

This event is also available to watch live online. To register, visit: The Romantic History of Copyright | Gresham College

Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham College's mission, please consider making a donation: Donate Today | Gresham College

Gresham College

Barnard's Inn Hall, Holborn, London, EC1N 2HH, England, GB. Confirm the venue with the organizer before traveling.

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Discovered through Cerebral Valley. Details come from the event listing and the organizer page; registration is managed by the organizer.

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026. Confirm current availability before making plans.

Organizer page checked: Oct 24, 2026. Check registration for the latest details.

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The Romantic History of Copyright | London, UK | Superpower Daily