Event Report: WIPO Conversation on IP and Frontier Technologies, 2025

The DSTI/NRF South African Research Chair in Intellectual Property, Innovation and Development, Professor Caroline Ncube moderated a diverse panel at the Twelfth Session of the WIPO Conversation on Intellectual Property and Frontier Technologies. This year’s edition was held under the theme Intellectual Property and Synthetic Media and Professor Ncube chaired the discussion on Existing Broad Legal Frameworks for Synthetic Media [see the programmme and speakers' profiles]. In her opening statement, she reflected on the day’s discussions and noted the comprehensive introduction to synthetic media through the different presentations made earlier. She introduced the panel discussion, which focused on non-intellectual property frameworks, exploring global approaches to regulating synthetic media through privacy and personality rights, publicity and image rights, consumer protection, unfair competition, and anti-fraud legislation. The panel was constituted by speakers from Italy, USA, China, UK and Uruguay, who shared regional and country specific perspectives. They highlighted the available remedies such as civil, administrative and criminal sanctions in different jurisdictions. The session offered a valuable comparative overview of how different jurisdictions are responding the legal challenges posed by synthetic media beyond conventional intellectual property law. A recording of the session is available at the WIPO Webcast page.