Advances in AI represent one of the greatest challenges to intellectual property protection

Jorge Silva Martins, Partner in the Technology, Digital and Regulatory practice area at MFA Legal tells JN that “it will certainly be inevitable to adapt the regulatory frameworks to a reality that is unprecedented in the legal world, for which the legislation was not designed”. But the immediate focus—before changing the law—must be on the “intelligent application of existing regimes, ensuring that IP rights maintain their foundational, structuring role in the new digital ecosystem”.

Media groups are confronting growing competition from both tech giants and AI. In this context, Jorge Silva Martins (questioned by JN about strategies to protect the sector) noted that he already sees “a strategic and effective response” to what he calls the “structural imbalance in the digital ecosystem.”

The expert, who points to examples such as “licensing agreements with Google in France and Germany, or mandatory negotiation schemes elsewhere”, asserts that “this proves the media are not doomed to disappear, but instead need to legally assert the economic value of their content.”