Intellectual Property, Copyright, Copyright Databases in Europe, Copyright View Project
In Europe, there are various national registers, archives, and sector-specific platforms for music, film, and formats; however, they do not communicate with one another. Anyone seeking information about a work—for instance, to determine whom to contact for usage authorization and under what conditions—often encounters incomplete or hard-to-verify answers.
This is a tangible problem stemming from the very nature of copyright law: unlike patents, trademarks, and designs, copyright does not require filing or registration to exist; rather, it arises upon the work’s creation and is governed by the national laws of individual Member States.
The issue has become even more pressing with the spread and increasingly pervasive use of generative artificial intelligence systems, which are trained on vast quantities of text, images, and content—much of it copyright-protected.
New European regulations require verification of whether a work may be used for such purposes; doing so, however, necessitates finding information about the work and identifying its rights holder with certainty—information that, as previously noted, is often difficult to obtain.
This is the context for the study by the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) titled *Mapping of EU Databases and Metadata Standards Providing Information on Copyright-Protected Works* (published in May 2026). The study aims to identify and map existing databases covering copyright-protected works and to explore the feasibility of developing the “Copyright View” project—an EUIPO initiative designed to interconnect existing databases and make information regarding copyright for works in Europe more accessible.
The study is part of the EUIPO’s ongoing efforts in this field—initiatives that led to the launch of the Copyright Knowledge Centre in November 2025, a digital hub designed to serve as a single reference point for copyright information across Europe.
CONTEXT AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
The study was initiated to understand the current copyright landscape in Europe, primarily by identifying key issues and challenges.
From a structural and technical perspective, it highlights two main issues:
Copyright metadata, while fundamental, is created arbitrarily—lacking common standards—and is therefore rarely interoperable.
Existing databases are largely disconnected from one another, even when they share similar objectives.
These issues are particularly significant in the age of artificial intelligence.
As previously mentioned, regulations such as the AI Act, the InfoSoc Directive, and the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (CDSM) impose obligations regarding copyright compliance; however, meeting these obligations presupposes access to accurate, reliable, and interoperable information that can be exchanged across borders and sectors.
As the study highlights, these regulations remain “technologically neutral”—for instance, by requiring compliance with rights holders’ opt-outs regarding text and data mining without specifying the technical standards to be used for this purpose. While this leaves room for the emergence of innovative solutions, it also contributes to a landscape where various non-standardized technical systems coexist.
The study—conducted through desk research and interviews with 31 organizations, including public authorities, collective management organizations, private stakeholders, and cultural institutions—pursues three main objectives:
To map existing copyright databases and metadata infrastructure in Europe.
To analyze the types of information and metadata standards used by the operators of these European databases. Identify the benefits and lay the groundwork for the feasibility of the Copyright View project, which aims to connect existing databases, thereby making information regarding copyright for works in Europe much more accessible.
CONCLUSIONS
Overall, the study provides a structured overview of existing databases and metadata at the European level, highlighting key gaps and opportunities for further exploration.
The challenges identified—technical, legal, and economic alike—are far from trivial, a fact acknowledged by the study itself. Precisely for this reason, the study aims to gain a detailed understanding of the current landscape and define the next steps, thereby laying the groundwork for the future architecture of the Copyright View project.
As indicated on the EUIPO website, the next step involves establishing an expert group to further examine feasibility and technical specifications, while also continuing dialogue with stakeholders to better understand their needs.
Copyright View is a complex undertaking, yet—given the study’s findings and the evolution of technologies and the creative content market—it is increasingly essential. The upcoming phases will ultimately determine whether this goal can truly be achieved, despite the challenges involved.
July 9, 2026
Source: Brevetti news
