Register now for the PLS Conference 2025

Join us on Thursday, 3rd July at 1 Wimpole Street, London, for PLS' annual conference.

Register for free today to secure your place.

Since its launch in 2023, PLS’ annual conference has become an important fixture in the UK publishing calendar. Catered to publishing professionals of all backgrounds, the conference offers attendees excellent networking opportunities and valuable insight from world-leading publishing and rights experts. Whether you're seeking to deepen your understanding of copyright fundamentals or want to keep up to date with the latest licensing and policy developments, the conference has something for everyone. 

PLS encourages anyone with an interest in copyright, rights, and licensing to join us at 1 Wimpole Street, London on Thursday 3rd July. 

View the full Conference programme here. 

This year, PLS welcomes renowned rights experts Lynette Owen and Diane Spivey, who will be hosting an extended morning session for learners and early career rights professionals.  

PLS' two licensing agents, the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and NLA Media Access, will lead sessions on the effective licensing and technology solutions their respective organisations can offer to publishers. James Bennett, Head of Rightsholder Relations at the CLA, will update attendees on the latest CLA revenue trends and new initiatives in AI licensing. Meanwhile, Grace Leaper, Publishing Operations Manager at NLA, will examine the different strategies publishers can employ to better protect and commercialise their intellectual property in the digital age.

PLS’s trade associations will be returning with thought-leading exploring the latest in the wider publishing industry.

The Professional Publishers Association (PPA) will present 'The most up-to-date view on the AI, publishing and copyright landscape' with seasoned leader in the publishing landscape Chris Duncan, CEO of Seedelta Ltd and former CEO of Bauer UK.

As the AI landscape moves at speed, this conversation with Chris Duncan will provide the most current view for all publishers on the government’s AI consultation, the global regulatory backdrop and the state of play for publishing businesses.   

The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) will host their own panel: ‘AI litigation: Insights and lessons learned (so far)’, chaired by Leslie Lansman, Head of Permissions and Licensing, Springer Nature. Leslie will be joined this year by Emily Hudson, Professor of Law, Oxford University and Chris Kemp, Partner, Kemp IT Law.

As the number of global lawsuits involving AI, text and data mining, and copyright continues to grow, we are starting to see initial decisions and judgments. This panel will delve into the key issues that courts are focusing on, the lessons we can draw from recent rulings, and the challenges that rights holders encounter when litigating infringement cases.

We will also hear from leading voice on AI in publishing, George Walkley in the Independent Publishers Guild's (IPG) session: ‘AI: The threats and opportunities for publishers’.

As Artificial Intelligence continues to reshape publishing, this session provides an up-to-the-minute briefing on current issues and future developments. Our guide is George Walkley, publishing technology expert and leader of the IPG’s award-winning ‘Practical Guide to AI’ training. As well as covering threats to copyright and publishers’ Intellectual Property, George explores some of AI’s more positive applications in our industry.

Finally, we are delighted to announce keynote speaker, Karen Rønde, CEO, Danish Press Publications' CMO. More details of the keynote speech to follow.

Our exhibitors represent a diverse array of interests within the publishing industry, and will include the IPG, the PPA, the Publishers Association, ALPSP, ISNI, EDItEUR, Book Industry Communication (BIC), RightsZone, the Stationers’ Company, CLA, and NLA.

Click here to register for free and secure your place. Please stay tuned for future announcements on exhibitor organisations, speakers, and session topics.

We hope to see you there!