The European Legal Landscape of AI – Regulation & Case Law

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the creative industries, raising complex legal challenges in copyright, data regulation, and liability. The European Union has responded with the AI Act, which classifies AI systems by risk and imposes transparency obligations, particularly for generative AI. Alongside this, the Directive (EU) 2019/790 on Copyright in the Digital Single Market introduces opt-out mechanisms for rights holders against text and data mining, directly impacting how AI models can be trained.

In France, recent legal developments refine the boundaries of copyright protection, reinforcing rights holders’ control over their works in an AI-driven environment. At the heart of this evolving legal landscape, litigation is setting key precedents. The first European lawsuit against Meta, filed by French publishers and authors in 2024, challenges the unauthorized use of copyrighted works for AI training. Similar cases, such as Getty Images vs. Stability AI, question the legality of AI-generated content derived from protected materials. These disputes raise fundamental issues of transparency, accountability, and potential liability.

As AI regulation takes shape, legal professionals must anticipate compliance challenges, assess enforcement risks, and navigate new frameworks balancing innovation with the protection of creative rights. Two French Entertainment Lawyers, Karine Riahi and Julien Brunet from the Paris based Law Firm “BRUNET RIAHI” will explain the challenges of this specific landscape impacting the US.

Karine Riahi, Co-Founder, BRUNET RIAHI
Julien Brunet, Co-Founder, BRUNET RIAHI