Books lined up next to each other in a row

The Future of the Copyright Act Symposium

 

October 2, 2026

8:30 am - 6 pm

October 3, 2026

8:30 am - 2 pm

Location: Online and Faculty Conference Center, GW Law

Register for Webinar!

 

 

About the Symposium

As the Copyright Act of 1976 approaches its 50th anniversary, this symposium brings leading scholars together to examine what the next era of copyright law should look like. Are incremental updates enough, or is it time for Congress to rethink the Act in light of a new technological and cultural landscape?

Over two days at GW Law, experts from across the country will:

  • Present and comment on 14 scholarly papers
  • Explore areas most in need of clarification or reform
  • Participate in a lunch conversation on the future of the 1976 Act featuring Jane Ginsburg, Paul Goldstein, Jessica Litman, and Pam Samuelson, moderated by Robert Brauneis

All papers and commentary will be published in the Journal of the Copyright Society, a co‑sponsor of the event. Professors Robert Brauneis, Elizabeth Townsend Gard, and Alfred Yen serve as lead organizers.

*Due to room capacity, most attendees will join via livestream. A recording will also be available afterward. To request in‑person attendance, please contact Professor Robert Brauneis at rbraunatlaw [dot] gwu [dot] edu (rbraun[at]law[dot]gwu[dot]edu).

Papers and Commentators

NameTopicCommentator
Shyam Balganesh and Peter MenellA Dynamic Theory of the Progress Clause: Copyright, Congress, and American DemocracyJessica Silbey
Graeme DinwoodieThe Future of International Influences on CopyrightMarketa Trimble
James GrimmelmannOur Byzantine Secondary Infringement SystemFelix Wu
Laura HeymannSemantic Satiation and the Copyright ActRobert Brauneis
Justin HughesConstitutional Copyright and the Meaning of Postponed MattersZvi Rosen
Joseph LiuDeregulatory CopyrightBenjamin Sobel
Lateef MtimaMutual Human Actualization and the 1976 Copyright Act: Towards Copyright Social JusticeTrevor Reed
Jacob Noti-VictorSection 115’s Many Lives: Lessons for Copyright RegulationLauren Wilson
Anthony ReeseThe 1976 Copyright Act, As (Much and Frequently) Amended: General Revision in Piecemeal Form?Jane Ginsburg and Jessica Litman
Matthew SagFair Use @ 50Michael Carroll
Pamela SamuelsonCopyright ExceptionalismAlfred Yen
Xiyin TangInsuring the Future of CopyrightRachel Landy
Elizabeth Townsend GardDuration Doesn’t MatterGraeme Dinwoodie
Rebecca TushnetA Sort of Legal Garbage Can - Fair Use TodayPaul Goldstein