Albena Dobreva
- University of National and World Economy, Law Faculty, 1700, Studentski Kompleks, ul. “8-mi dekemvri” 19, Sofia, Bulgaria
Abstract:
Artificial intelligence systems have been the dominant technology in recent years, which has had an intensive impact on the relations regulated by intellectual property law. Databases, for their part, as a modern high-tech product of growing importance in the information society, enjoy legal protection under Directive 96/9/EC of 11 March 1996 on the legal protection of databases. They are the subject of intellectual property both in European Union law and in the law of the Member States. Proceeding from the definition in the Database Directive and the technical nature of the two phenomena, considering possible hypotheses and existing solutions, this study aims to answer the research question whether „AI databases“ can be protected subject matter under the two established protection regimes, namely, copyright and especially sui generis right. The two main forms of legal life - legal doctrine and judicial practice, together with the application of an interdisciplinary approach, serve to clarify the ‚legal protection - databases - AI‘ relationship in EU law. The analysis justifies the need for the expression „artificial intelligence databases“ used in legal literature to accurately reflect the characteristics of the protected object at the current historical moment.
International Scientific Multidisciplinary Conference: AI for a Smarter Tomorrow - AI-SMART , September 25-26, 2025
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