Dissertation defence (Law): LL.M. Maryna Manteghi
LL.M. Maryna Manteghi defends the dissertation in Law titled “Readjusting the EU’s Regulation of Text and Data Mining in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” at the University of Turku on 28 November 2025 at 12.15 (University of Turku, CALONIA, Calonia 2, Caloniankuja 3, Turku).
Opponent: Professor Rosa Ballardini (University of Lapland, Finland)
Custos: Professor Tuomas Mylly (University of Turku)
Doctoral Dissertation at UTUPub: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0425-9
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Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:
My doctoral dissertation examines how the use of text and data mining (TDM) is regulated in the European Union. TDM is an automated analytical technique used to process large volumes of digital information in order to identify patterns, detect trends and correlations, and generate new knowledge. TDM has become indispensable for modern science and innovation and plays a central role in the development and operation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT. However, because TDM involves copying and processing large amounts of digital data, some of which may be protected by copyright or the sui generis database right, it can raise concerns about the unauthorised use of protected works.
The study examines whether the EU’s current regulation of TDM adequately supports research, innovation, and access to information while safeguarding the rights of authors and other rightholders. It focuses particularly on Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market, which introduced two specific exceptions permitting TDM of protected materials for research purposes and for other uses, both subject to certain conditions. While these provisions have brought greater legal clarity and certainty for researchers and commercial actors, the analysis identifies several limitations in their scope and application that may undermine their effectiveness and raise concerns from a fundamental rights perspective.
The findings highlight the need to readjust the EU’s regulation of TDM so that it better reflects technological realities and more effectively promotes the fundamental rights to information and freedom of research. The dissertation proposes concrete amendments to the scope of the current exceptions in order to achieve a better balance between the interests of authors and the broader public interest in the age of AI. In doing so, it advances ongoing debates on copyright, AI, and fundamental rights and presents a vision of a more balanced and forward-looking digital Europe.
Opponent: Professor Rosa Ballardini (University of Lapland, Finland)
Custos: Professor Tuomas Mylly (University of Turku)
Doctoral Dissertation at UTUPub: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0425-9
***
Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation:
My doctoral dissertation examines how the use of text and data mining (TDM) is regulated in the European Union. TDM is an automated analytical technique used to process large volumes of digital information in order to identify patterns, detect trends and correlations, and generate new knowledge. TDM has become indispensable for modern science and innovation and plays a central role in the development and operation of artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT. However, because TDM involves copying and processing large amounts of digital data, some of which may be protected by copyright or the sui generis database right, it can raise concerns about the unauthorised use of protected works.
The study examines whether the EU’s current regulation of TDM adequately supports research, innovation, and access to information while safeguarding the rights of authors and other rightholders. It focuses particularly on Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market, which introduced two specific exceptions permitting TDM of protected materials for research purposes and for other uses, both subject to certain conditions. While these provisions have brought greater legal clarity and certainty for researchers and commercial actors, the analysis identifies several limitations in their scope and application that may undermine their effectiveness and raise concerns from a fundamental rights perspective.
The findings highlight the need to readjust the EU’s regulation of TDM so that it better reflects technological realities and more effectively promotes the fundamental rights to information and freedom of research. The dissertation proposes concrete amendments to the scope of the current exceptions in order to achieve a better balance between the interests of authors and the broader public interest in the age of AI. In doing so, it advances ongoing debates on copyright, AI, and fundamental rights and presents a vision of a more balanced and forward-looking digital Europe.
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