We are pleased to announce that this year’s LIDC Congress will take place in Bucharest from October 15 to 18.
2026 marks two milestones: 150 years since the birth of Constantin Brâncuși, Romania’s most celebrated artist, and 100 years since Bird in Space, the subject of a famous lawsuit in the US, redefined art – and the law.
Just as Brâncuși’s vision reshaped the boundaries of art and legal interpretation, the LIDC 2026 Congress will explore how law must evolve in the age of artificial intelligence, digital creation, and innovation.
The congress will take place in the heart of Bucharest, in the historic InterContinental AthéNéE Palace. A city of bold contrasts – where Belle Époque boulevards meet vibrant contemporary culture – Bucharest is a place where history meets innovation.
The congress brings together over 200 participants from approximately 25 countries, and around 30 international speakers (including from the CJEU, the European Commission and national competition authorities, EUIPO, EPO, OSIM, ORDA). Members of the Competition Council plenary, department coordinators (FDI, Cartels, Legal, etc.) and judges from the ICCJ and the Bucharest Court of Appeal will also participate.
The discussion topics are multidisciplinary, ranging from sustainability, digitization, alternative procedures to fines by the Competition Council, direct investments scrutinized by competition authorities, to the protection of works of art, challenges faced by artists in the context of AI, etc.
The two questions examined at the congress with the related national and international reports are set out as follows:
Question A: “To what extent and in what way have the negotiated procedures (leniency, commitments, settlements and, where applicable, consent decrees) improved the effectiveness of Antitrust Law without unduly conflicting with fundamental principles such as the rights of defense and confidentiality?”
Question B: “To what extent does intellectual property law recognize the evolving concept of “art,” including in the context of AI-assisted creation, and how does this shape the limits between the different types of Intellectual Property Rights and their role in enabling innovation, investment and the monetization of creative outputs?”
For more information, contact us at: office@arcon.org.ro.
