Research by Dr Michiel Poesen has been cited in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) as the Court considers legal questions arising from generative artificial intelligence.
The citation appears in the Opinion of Advocate General Maciej Szpunar in Case C-250/25, Like Company, a significant case addressing the cross-border copyright implications of generative AI.
Dr Poesen is Lecturer in Private International Law and Co-Director of the Centre for Private International Law and Transnational Governance (CPILTG). The reference to his work highlights the growing role of legal scholarship in shaping how courts respond to the challenges created by artificial intelligence.
As judges, legislators, and policymakers grapple with questions of copyright, jurisdiction, and accountability in the digital age, his research is contributing directly to debates that will help define the legal frameworks governing AI in the European Union.
The citation represents a significant recognition of Dr Poesen's contribution to a rapidly developing area of legal scholarship: the interaction between artificial intelligence, copyright law, and private international law.
The development is the latest example of the international impact of research produced within Aberdeen's Centre for Private International Law and Transnational Governance, a centre with a long and distinguished history of informing legal reform, judicial reasoning, and policy development at both European and international levels. Through its work on transnational litigation, private international law harmonisation, and emerging technologies, the Centre has consistently contributed to debates shaping the future of cross-border law and governance.
Dr Poesen's current research focuses on the relationship between artificial intelligence and private international law. Supported by a Personal Research Fellowship from the Royal Society of Edinburgh, he is currently completing a monograph, Private International Law and Artificial Intelligence in the EU and UK, to be published by Oxford University Press. He has also contributed the forthcoming entry on artificial intelligence to the second edition of the Encyclopedia of Private International Law and is due to deliver a lecture on cross-border copyright infringements involving generative AI at the 2027 EAPIL Winter School.
The citation in Like Company highlights the sustained influence of Aberdeen legal scholarship in addressing the complex legal challenges created by technological innovation. It also reflects the Centre's enduring commitment to producing research that not only advances academic understanding but helps shape the development of law in courts, legislatures, and policy forums across Europe and beyond.
Professor Justin Borg-Barthet, Head of the School of Law, said: "We are delighted to see Dr Poesen's research recognised in proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union again. This citation is a testament both to the quality of Michiel's scholarship and to the Centre's longstanding tradition of producing research that informs the development of law beyond the academy. As artificial intelligence continues to transform society, Aberdeen's researchers are helping to shape the legal frameworks that will govern these technologies for years to come."
The citation further reinforces the School of Law's reputation as a leading centre for research in private international law and demonstrates the continuing global reach and impact of scholarship produced at the University of Aberdeen.