Open Future

📚 Building a European Books Data Commons - Newsletter #50 European Books Data Commons: a public-interest model for opening cultural heritage to AI training and computational research.

📬 New newsletter: European Books Data Commons, CommonsDB Explorer launch, AI copyright rulings, and more on making cultural heritage work for AI while keeping control public. Not subscribed yet? Read the full issue and sign up here: mailchi.mp/openfuture/b...

🎥 How should copyright adapt to AI? @paulk.bsky.social and Oana Nasui explore territorial copyright laws, cultural heritage digitization, and power imbalances in the AI age. Watch: formareculturala.ro/from-territo...

📚 Europe needs a Books Data Commons. Our new paper with @europeana.bsky.social shows how library-controlled infrastructure can unlock digitized cultural heritage for AI—strengthening digital sovereignty and advancing the Data Union Strategy. openfuture.eu/publication/...

🎯 Join us at EUIPO Conference on Copyright. @paulk.bsky.social will discuss building tech-resilient copyright frameworks for the AI age—balancing creator rights with public interest. www.euipo.europa.eu/en/landing-p...

Watch the livestream of the announcement event of the ETRS Network today at 15:00 CET via Zoom: bertelsmann-stiftung-de.zoom.us/j/6236777617...

Open Future Joins the European Network for Technological Resilience and Sovereignty – Open Future We join ETRS to strengthen Europe's technological resilience and sovereignty through knowledge exchange, strategic analysis of technology dependencies, and evidence-based solutions.

We join ETRS to strengthen Europe's digital sovereignty.
80% of EU's critical tech depends on the US & China. We're building evidence-based approaches for resilient, democratic digital infrastructure. Learn more about why we joined and what ETRS aims to achieve: openfuture.eu/blog/open-fu...

GEMA v OpenAI: Memory is Fragile. Garbage Lasts Forever. – Open Future GEMA's lawsuit against OpenAI has reignited the debate about AI training and copyright. This post examines the relationship between AI training and the TDM exceptions.

First EU ruling on AI training: TDM exceptions apply, but models can't memorize copyrighted works. Court draws line between learning and leakage, leaving key questions on opt-outs and memorization thresholds. Read @paulk.bsky.social latest: openfuture.eu/blog/gema-v-...

Europe is at a crossroads on digital sovereignty. We've signed an open letter with 40+ organizations calling on EU leaders to champion open source AI. Strengthening open source AI will provide a foundation for Europe to build public AI capabilities. Read more: openfuture.eu/blog/open-le...

Next week we're at the Summit on European Digital Sovereignty in Berlin. Read our latest take on the topic: openfuture.eu/blog/buildin...
Attending? Let's connect!

Leveraging Article 3 of the CDSM Directive to build public AI models – Open Future Article 3 of the CDSM Directive allows EU research organizations and libraries to train AI models on copyrighted works. This analysis explores how this legal framework enables public AI development.

🇪🇺 The EU has the legal tools to build public AI—but uncertainty is holding it back. Article 3 of the CDSM Directive lets research organizations & libraries train models on accessible works.

Read @paulk.bsky.social’s latest analysis for more: openfuture.eu/blog/leverag...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Moving Beyond US Tech Dependence: Paths, Challenges, and Opportunities for European Digital Sovereignty. After registering, you will receive a confirmation ... As Europe's dependence on US-based digital platforms deepens, critical questions emerge around geopolitical autonomy, innovation, and control of the information space. This panel will explore:  1. How...

Join us tomorrow at 16:00 CET for a webinar on Europe's digital sovereignty: Moving Beyond US Tech Dependence. Organized by Democracy Reporting International with @aiforensics.org , @cristinacaffarra.bsky.social , and @adityaxsingh.bsky.social.

Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

CommonsDB Explorer is live! Browse rights declarations for Public Domain works, check files for matches, and see verifiable rights info that travels with content. openfuture.eu/blog/commons...

CommonsDB Explorer goes live at GLAM Wiki – Open Future CommonsDB Explorer demonstrates how verifiable rights information can be shared across systems, providing clearer and more reliable rights information for cultural heritage institutions and platforms.

We've launched CommonsDB Explorer—the first public interface for our registry of Public Domain works. Browse 200K+ rights declarations, upload files to check matches. Read more and try it: openfuture.eu/blog/commons...

Sustaining original content in the age of generative AI – Open Future Policymakers, academics, and representatives from journalism, culture, and civil society discuss how Europe can sustain original content in the age of generative AI.

How can Europe sustain journalism, art, and culture in the age of AI? Watch the recording of our 14 October event with @fesonline.bsky.social and leading voices on rights, remuneration, and public AI infrastructure.

Mozilla Festival Schedule For 15 years, Mozilla Festival has been the home for big ideas, bold conversations, and the movement for a better internet. From November 7th to 9th, we’re bringing that energy back to Barcelona, and ...

Join us at Mozilla Festival tomorrow, Nov 7 at 10:15 CET for "Unlearning Corporate Capture: Pathways to Public AI" with @alek.bsky.social and Maximilian Gahntz. Explore how Public AI can prioritize public interest over profit.

More details: schedule.mozillafestival.org/session/257

Introducing CommonsDB Explorer CommonsDB Explorer — the first public interface to the CommonsDB registry — is now live.

🚀 CommonsDB Explorer is live! Browse 200K+ rights declarations for Public Domain & open licensed works. Upload files to check copyright status.
Try it: www.commonsdb.org/blog/introdu...

📬 New newsletter: Europe doesn't need new laws for Public AI—it needs to activate the legal basis it already has in Article 3 of the CDSM Directive. Discover how existing copyright law can unlock AI training data access for research organizations and libraries. Read more: mailchi.mp/openfuture/u...

Inspiring to see over 1,000 participants at Numérique en Commun[s] focused on Digital Commons. France's national strategy embeds commons-based approaches across all areas—prioritizing autonomy, resilience & sustainability. Thank you for having us.

Public letter calls for EU investment in open source sustainability through an EU Sovereign Tech Fund – Open Future We have joined dozens of organizations in signing a public letter that calls for the creation of an EU Sovereign Tech Fund to address chronic under-investment in open source software maintenance.

Europe needs an EU Sovereign Tech Fund. Open source software powers everything from healthcare to energy grids, yet it's chronically underfunded. Read the Public letter.
openfuture.eu/blog/public-...

At 17:15 CET, @alek.bsky.social will present the masterclass "How can we overcome the paradox of openness?". Philippe Ajuelos will introduce Alek, who will share our perspective on digital commons as a way to fight concentrations of power.

Zuzanna Warso will take part in a panel to explore why digital commons are the most cost-effective solution for everyone at 14:15 CET. She will share the stage with Stéphanie Schaer, Audran Le Baron, Valérian Guiller, Tara Tarakiyee and Florian Caringe in a session moderated by Benjamin Jean.

We are in Strasbourg today to participate in Numérique en Commun[s] and contribute to building an open, ethical digital world through expert discussions.
All details: numerique-en-communs.fr

GLAM Wiki 2025 - Meta-Wiki

#GLAMWiki2025: Wikimedia as essential digital infrastructure and trusted tools for cultural institutions.
@culturedoug.bsky.social will showcase CommonsDB as part of our copyright infrastructure work—connecting cultural memory with digital commons.
More info: w.wiki/D5Xq

AI and Creative Labor – Open Future Exploring the impact of generative AI on creative labor, copyright, and the Digital Commons.

🤖 Making AI Work for Creators: Generative AI can consume and reassemble human creativity—but under what conditions? We're exploring how to make these systems serve both creators and the Digital Commons. Learn more: openfuture.eu/our-work/ai-...

Zuzanna Warso will also participate in a panel to explore “Why could digital commons be the most cost-effective solution for everyone?”

29 Oct at 14:15 CEST with Stéphanie Schaer, Audran Le Baron, Valérian Guiller, Tara Tarakiyee, and Florian Caringe, moderated by Benjamin Jean.

Join us at Numérique en Commun[s] in Strasbourg, 29-30 Oct to advance Digital Commons as a pathway to digital sovereignty and democratic empowerment—core principles of our work.

Don't miss @alek.bsky.social's masterclass on the paradox of openness. Details: numerique-en-communs.fr

Purpose, Not Power: Rethinking Europe’s Apply AI Strategy – Open Future The EU needs purposeful, open-source, and sustainable public AI—infrastructure that serves the public, not an AI-first race driven by dominant vendors.

Europe's AI strategy advances public infrastructure—but risks vendor lock-in without clear purpose, openness & sustainability.
@alek.bsky.social calls for purposeful deployment, open-source models & democratic governance in our latest blog post: openfuture.eu/blog/purpose...

Building Digital Sovereignty: What Does Europe Need and How to Achieve It | TechPolicy.Press The EU should not re-do the entire digital stack but confront the structural bottlenecks that sustain Europe’s digital dependence, writes Zuzanna Warso.

🤔 Europe's digital sovereignty debate unites unlikely allies—but to what end? True sovereignty requires a democratic infrastructure with open-source components and environmental accountability. Read Zuzanna Warso's perspective in @techpolicypress.bsky.social.

www.techpolicy.press/building-dig...

The Future of Democracy: Speech, Thought, Sovereignty, and Power in the Age of Platforms and AI YouTube video by Open Markets Institute

Did you manage to connect? If you missed it, here's the recording: www.youtube.com/live/KlO8ta8...

The Future of Democracy: Speech, Thought, Sovereignty, and Power in the Age of Platforms and AI YouTube video by Open Markets Institute

What is the role of independent digital infrastructure in European democracy? Join the discussion: Zuzanna Warso @openfuture.bsky.social, @cristinacaffarra.bsky.social, @butlerb.art at @proton.me, Sebastian Vogelsang at @flashes.blue, moderated by @robin.berjon.com
www.youtube.com/live/KlO8ta8...