On October 31, the Moscow State Institute of Culture (MSIC) held a workshop titled Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in a Digital Environment for under-graduate, post-graduate students, as well as faculty members from social sciences departments. Yekaterina Gubanova, a lawyer with Semyonov and Pevzner legal firm, animated the session.
Held in cooperation with the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Academy, the event took place as part of the 11th IP&IT LAW 2026, a national youth contest on intellectual property and IT law.
The Coordination Center and IP Club hold this contest every year under the auspices of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It is open to future and accomplished lawyers willing to undertake research projects on topical matters dealing with digital law and intellectual property protection.
As in the previous editions, there is a generous prize fund for winners in the main and special categories, including cash, paid internships in major legal firms, professional upgrade courses and opportunities to publish articles in specialized journals. Entries for the contest can be submitted until February 1, 2026.
Semyonov and Pevzner has been the contest’s partner for many years. The firm has even created its own category. This year, it asked contenders to focus on the topic titled Legal Protections for Sports Broadcasting in Russia and Abroad.
The workshop included a detailed insight into copyright protection for content of various kinds, including photo images, video clips and even reels videos. The participants also studied cases dealing with the illegal online distribution of memes, i.e., images and short videos that become viral on social media. The agenda also included a discussion on whether using artificial intelligence is legal for generating unique content. Yekaterina paid special attention to domain disputes. In particular, she talked about ways of asserting the right to a domain name in a dispute with a cybersquatter.
At the end of the workshop, participants got a unique opportunity to test their newly acquired skills by holding an interactive mock trial replicating real court cases on intellectual property disputes.
“The objective of this seminar consisted of enabling future culture studies experts to improve their competencies in using and protecting their content. Considering the rapid spread and development of digital technologies, we must have a clear understanding of what works best in terms of the mechanisms for protecting the rights of art creators,” Darya Storublyovtseva, Head of the MSIC Department of Theory and Methodology Regarding Library and Information Services for Children and Teenagers, said.
Participants who excelled the event received gifts from the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ.
