Communal Authorship

Professor Gebru will explore the concept of “communal authorship,” which challenges traditional copyright law that typically focuses on individual or small team creators. He will discuss how creative expressions that emerge from large, informal collaborations—such as memes, viral dance crazes, and traditional cultural practices—often don’t fit neatly within existing copyright frameworks.

PROFESSOR AMAN GEBRU is an assistant professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center. His research explores the intersections of intellectual property law, innovation policy, and knowledge governance from both domestic and global perspectives. His recent projects theorize legal frameworks for communal authorship and claims against cultural appropriation. Professor Gebru’s work has been published or is forthcoming in leading legal journals, including the University of Richmond Law Review, Denver Law Review, Cardozo Arts and Entertainment Law Journal, and North Carolina Journal of Law and Technology.

Free and open to the public. Each talk is followed by a reception with light refreshments.