Our Takeaways from PLS Conference 2025
On a very sunny Thursday 3 July, PLS Conference 2025 took place at 1 Wimpole Street, London. This year saw a record attendance for our free one-day event dedicated to rights and licensing. But what did we learn from the talks, panels and event overall? We asked the PLS team to provide their top takeaways.
AI Remains the Big Topic
The main theme of the day may come as no surprise, as artificial intelligence and the challenges it poses to copyright and licensing remain a critical issue for the industry. Leslie Lansman, Chair of the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers’ (ALPSP) Policy Committee convened an expert panel to discuss AI litigation that included this year’s Charles Clark Memorial Lecture speaker Emily Hudson, and Chris Kemp from Kemp IT Law. James Bennett, Head of Rightsholder Relations at the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) provided an overview of collective licensing solutions for AI, whilst Chief Executive of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA), Sajeeda Merali was joined on stage by Seedelta CEO, Chris Duncan, to discuss the latest global developments in AI and big tech regulation and what that may mean for publishers and their business.
“AI remains a topic of significance within the publishing industry and a feature in the sessions throughout the day, of particular note was the curiosity and engagement of attendees”.
Andrea Graham, Publisher Registrations Executive
“One notable highlight was George Walkley’s afternoon session on the threats and opportunities AI offers to publishers, which provided valuable insight into the technology and statistics behind this monumental shift to our industry’s landscape.”
James Martin, Account Services Administrator
We’re Only Beginning the AI Journey
Whilst AI has quickly become the focus of debate and discussion, it may be the case that we’re only just beginning to understand the technology and its potential capabilities.
““This is the worst AI we will ever use” as George Walkley said in 'AI: The threats and opportunities for publishers'. A reminder that we are at the very beginning of AI, even though it seems like it has been around for a long time already. Both us and AI are still making lots of mistakes and very much within the learning phase.”
Kirsty Cassia, Account Services Executive
Optimistic Keynote in Challenging Times
This year’s PLS Conference keynote speech was given by Karen Rønde, Chief Executive of the Danish Press Publications Collective Management Organisation (DPCMO). With the news announced earlier in the week that the DPCMO are to sue Open AI, Karen gave attendees a determined but optimistic speech about how she has spearheaded work in Denmark to push back on the influence of big tech.
“The expansive career of Karen Rønde proved her to be a superb choice as a keynote speaker and (from a few conversations had at the end of the day) impressed many of the attendees with her tenacity and passion for the industry!”
Andrea Graham, Publisher Registrations Executive
You can read more about Karen’s speech here.
Copyright Can Adapt
With each iteration of technology, there invariably follows calls for copyright to be weakened to help facilitate innovation. Fundamentally, however, copyright has flexibility and the ability to evolve to meet the threats that new technology poses. While the form of technology continues to evolve, copyright itself will innovate and adapt to meet the needs of both rightsholders and AI developers.
“I attended the 'Introduction to Rights: Copyright principles and the control of rights' led by Duncan Calow. To no surprise, AI was a hot topic, and it was an invaluable experience to listen to Duncan's extensive and detailed explanation of the key principles of copyright and how at its core it can still be used in the industry whilst adapting to the changes that AI brings.”
Caristia Villanueva, Permissions & Operations Administrator
Content Protection Highlights Difficult Balance
Whilst the licensing content was much discussed, what about the content that has already been used without consent and remuneration? Grace Leaper from NLA media access gave attendees an update on how publishers can protect and enforce their copyright and the ways they can monetize and commercialise content. The Publishers Association’s session looked at the use of shadow libraries and how the PA is working with partners to reduce copyright infringement.
“The session ‘The Role of Shadow Libraries in LLMs’ gave insight into how widely shadow library sites are used, particularly by students and researchers with limited access to academic resources. It was striking to see the scale of the issue but also encouraging to learn about the work the Publishers Association and other organisations are doing to tackle it. Their efforts to protect copyright and promote fair access highlight the importance of supporting sustainable publishing while addressing global inequalities in access to knowledge.”
Natalia Kornioukhova, Product Manager
Publishing Needs to Face Challenges Together
Publishing, much like the wider creative industries, is a diverse sector with an array of different elements that make up the industry, from academic publishing to consumer magazines, from B2B to trade publishing. With challenges coming from well-resourced and highly influential quarters, the best way to counter such threats is for the industry and allies from wider society to work together.
“I think my main takeaways would be around the subject of co-operation, and the importance of a united front in the face of challenges to copyright. The keynote was really interesting and showed how if people, organisations and countries work together, it just makes any initiatives/actions taken that much stronger than people acting alone.”
Katherine Wyatt, Account Services Manager
“Hearing from so many speakers across the day that care deeply about the future of publishing and our creative industries was truly inspiring. A clear theme - in both the sessions and the conversations in between - was the pace of tech-driven change across the industry and our shared responsibility to help guide what comes next. As our keynote, Karen Rønde expressed so clearly, that future must be shaped deliberately, not passively.
Once again PLS was honoured to host what is becoming a key event for anyone interested in the intersection of rights, licensing, publishing, and technology. Thanks to all our speakers and attendees for being part of it - we look forward to welcoming you back in July 2026.”
Tom West, PLS CEO
