This presentation explores the evolving notion of ownership and copyright in the digital age, with a particular focus on copyleft and its implications for European and international law. It examines how digitalisation challenges traditional models of intellectual property and introduces new forms of intangible asset management. The discussion will address the legal tensions between accessibility, open-source collaboration, and established proprietary frameworks. Special attention will be given to how copyleft principles affect authors’ and creators’ rights, reshape regulatory approaches, and influence the broader European legal landscape. The seminar aims to provide an analytical framework for understanding how digital transformation is redefining property, authorship, and legal regulation in the context of open-source and Creative Commons movements.

About the Speaker:

Ettore Maria Lombardi is Professor of Private Law and Digital Society Law at the University of Florence School of Law and Of Counsel at the boutique firm Hage-Chahine with Lombardi. He holds a J.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Florence, an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, and several advanced certificates from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. He has held visiting and research appointments at universities including St. John’s (New York), Miami, Brasília, UCL (London), Moscow, and Singapore, and serves as President of the Supervisory Body of Nuova Pignone Holding S.p.A. (Baker Hughes group). A qualified lawyer in Italy and New York, Ettore Maria has authored six books and over sixty scholarly articles in private, commercial, and financial and banking law.

*The Law Society of Hong Kong has awarded this book talk 1 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) point.