205 State Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Art Law Conference 2026: What is Copy, Right? | Forchelli Center
Copyright in the 21st Century. How did we get here? Whats new in the field thanks to or despite of AI? What comes next?
Center for Art Law
will host its
Annual Art Law Conference
on
May 27, 2026
in person
at
Brooklyn Law School
and
online
via Zoom.
The 2026 conference will focus on copyright law as it relates to visual art, artificial intelligence, and the rapidly evolving legal landscape of the 21st century. The program will begin with a keynote address, followed by three substantive panels designed to build on one another throughout the afternoon. In addition, we will host a curated group of exhibitors featuring databases, legal tools, and technology platforms relevant to artists’ rights, copyright, and AI. The program will conclude with a reception, providing time for continued discussion, networking, and engagement among speakers, exhibitors, and attendees.
The opening panel will examine the current state of copyright law in the visual arts and the practical challenges facing artists, galleries, institutions, and practitioners. Subsequent panels will address artificial intelligence, recent legislative and regulatory developments, the role of the U.S. Copyright Office, and emerging questions around licensing, enforcement, and appropriation in a contemporary digital environment.
The conference convenes artists, attorneys, scholars, collectors, arts administrators, students, and policy professionals for in-depth and timely discussion, and will be accompanied by a silent auction and exhibitor networking opportunities.
Tentative Schedule and Agenda:
11:30 AM – Check-in opens
12:00 – 12:10 PM –
Opening Remarks
12:10 – 12:40 PM –
Keynote Address by
Ben Zhao
,
Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago and Founder, Nightshade & Glaze
12:45 – 2:00 PM –
Panel 1: So Inappropriate — Lessons About Copyright Law and Art: First There Was Art, Then Copyright, Then Fair Use… and Now AI?
From early copyright doctrines to contemporary fair use debates, this panel examines how artists and lawyers have navigated questions of ownership, appropriation, and originality in visual art. Panelists will explore key developments in copyright law affecting traditional artistic practices, from borrowing and remixing to transformative use, while also considering how emerging technologies, including AI, are beginning to reshape
long‑standing legal frameworks and artistic norms.
Moderator:
Irina Tarsis
,
Founder, Center for Art Law
Speakers:
Vivek Jayaram
, Founder, Jayaram Law;
Vincent Wilcke
,
Pace Gallery;
G
reg Allen
,
Artist and writer
2:00 – 2:15 PM –
AI & Authenticity: Standards, Trust and Evidence:
Amaya Aramburu
,
Client Relations & Business Development, Art Recognition
This presentation examines the role of artificial intelligence in art authentication, positioning AI as an analytical layer alongside connoisseurship, forensics, and provenance research. Rather than focusing on technical implementation, it highlights how AI is used in practice. It situates these approaches within the broader art market, where questions of trust, disclosure, and standards are increasingly central. Drawing on Art Recognition’s experience and its collaboration with the Center for Art Law, the talk outlines approaches to the responsible and accountable use of AI in this context. It concludes by opening a dialogue around ongoing questions at the intersection of art, technology, and law.
2:15 – 2:30 PM – Break
2:30 – 3:45 PM –
Panel 2: The Copyright Office Weighs In — Three Reports on AI and the Law
This panel examines the U.S. Copyright Office’s three recent reports on artificial intelligence and copyright, unpacking what they clarify, and what they leave unresolved about authorship, ownership, and protection in the age of AI. Panelists will also situate these reports within the broader legal landscape, touching on emerging litigation and contested issues shaping how AI‑generated and AI‑assisted works are treated under current copyright law.
Moderator:
Atreya Mathur
, Director of Legal Research, Center for Art Law
Speakers:
Miriam Lord
, Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education;
Ben Zhao
,
Neubauer Professor of Computer Science at University of Chicago and Founder, Nightshade & Glaze;
Katherine Wilson-Milne
,
Partner, Schindler Cohen & Hochman LLP
3:45 – 4:00 PM – Break
4:00 – 5:15 PM –
Panel 3: Registration Is Dead? Long Live Licensing?
As copyright enforcement becomes more complex, this panel explores the evolving role of registration and the growing importance of licensing agreements in protecting creative works. Panelists will discuss how artists, rights holders, and legal practitioners navigate enforcement today, examining when registration still matters, how licensing structures are being used strategically, and what effective rights management looks like in a shifting legal and art market landscape.
Moderator:
Carol J. Steinberg
,
Art, Copyright & Entertainment Law Attorney, Faculty, School of Visual Arts
Speakers:
J
ane
t Hicks
,
Vice President and Director of Licensing, Artists Rights Society;
Yayoi Shionoiri
,
art lawyer and Vice President of External Affairs and General Counsel at Powerhouse Arts;
Martin Cribbs
,
Intellectual Property Licensing Strategist
5:15 – 5:30 PM –
Closing Remarks
by
Lindsay Korotkin
,
Partner, ArentFox Schiff
5:30 – 7:00 PM –
Networking Reception and Silent Auction Results (Only In-Person not on Zoom)
Substantive portion of the program is pending 3 CLE credits approval.
VENUE FOR IN-PERSON:
FORCHELLI CENTER AT BROOKLYN LAW SCHOOL
(22nd Floor)205 State St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
CLE SPONSOR:
Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard
Exhibitors:
Artists Rights Society
Kernochan Center for Law, Media, and the Arts
The Copyright Office
Artistic Freedom Initiative
If you are interested in being a sponsor for the event or an exhibitor at the event, please contact us: artlawteam@itsartartlaw.org.
Please note the event is HYBRID and will be both in-person at Brooklyn Law School and
online
via Zoom.
Information Source: Center for Art Law | eventbrite