BIMA Masterclass | AI and Copyright: What do brands need to know?

The UK’s AI and Copyright Bill could soon reshape the rules of ownership in the creative and digital industries but what does that actually mean for creators and brands? This masterclass will explore the potential real life ramifications of the bill from both legal and creative perspectives, BIMA and Brandsmiths are partnering to host this essential session, helping the creative community stay ahead of the changes and understand what’s at stake. We'll explore real life case studies and share practical, legal strategies to help protect the originality and ownership of human work in the AI landscape.

We will cover topics like:

• Who owns creative work when AI is involved
• The legal status of scraped or third-party data
• IP liability, who’s responsible when things go wrong
• How to protect your outputs when using AI tools
• Why the bill matters to creatives, brands, and businesses
• What the future could look like if human creativity isn’t protected
• Practical steps to safeguard your rights

This event is for anyone curious how to navigate the new bill safely and smartly but it will be especially useful to:

• Creative directors and agency owners who use or are interested in AI
• Founders or product leaders
• In-house legal or IP managers
• A designer or creative who wants to protect their work

Your Host:

Mike Octigan, Co-founder, Gecko Ltd

Gecko was born way back in the halcyon days of when the media was “New”. There were only two browsers, one device, and corporate comms lived on a CD-ROM. With over 23 years of experience in the ever-evolving digital agency landscape. He has been fortunate enough to work with some amazing clients. Ranging from start-ups to big brands, across 20 industries located in the UK, North America, France, Dubai, and Australia. A Manchester United fan (actually from Manchester) and a graphic design geek. Today, Mike’s core focus is to continue to grow Gecko’s reputation as an agency you’ll want to stick with, through building long-term client relationships and delivering the results they care about the most.

Sukanya Wadhwa, IP Litigation Associate at Brandsmiths

Sukanya is an associate solicitor specialising in disputes involving trade marks, copyright, design and confidential information, and AI. She works with brands, helping them protect and enforce their IP rights, and navigating them through litigation in the UK. AI is one of Sukanya’s key focus areas, and she helps clients understand the IP risks and opportunities arising from this technology.

Stephen Lowry, Partner and Head of Trade Marks, Copyright & Designs at Brandsmiths

Stephen leads Brandsmiths’ work across trade marks, copyright, and design rights. He advises brands on global portfolio strategy, enforcement, and the legal challenges of emerging tech, including ownership and liability in AI-generated content.

Heather Connearn, Managing Director at Space & Time

Heather Connearn is an award-winning marketer with over two decades of experience driving growth and innovation across the UK agency landscape. As Managing Director of Space & Time, she leads a team of 120 specialists across five UK offices, championing a people-first culture and delivering strategic and operational excellence for clients including Avant Homes, O2 Retail, Funko, Jimmy Choo, Vistry Group and Wolf 1834. Under Heather’s leadership, Space & Time has entered a new phase of accelerated growth, following a strategic partnership with global ad tech firm Datawrkz. She plays a pivotal role in shaping the agency’s future, overseeing its AI roadmap and product development strategy, and unlocking new capabilities in data-driven marketing. Heather is passionate about redefining client value and pushing the boundaries of what growth marketing can achieve.

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