On Monday, 1 December 2025, 4.15–6.30 pm, Dr. Pavel Zahrádka (Olomouc/Czech Republic) will give his Fellow Lecture on the topic of “Philosophie des Urheberrechts und das Problem der Sperrung des grenzüberschreitenden Zugangs zu Filmwerken” (Philosophy of Copyright and the Problem of Blocking Cross-Border Access to Film Works) (venue: Room 201, Philosophikum, Domplatz 23, 48143 Münster):

The lecture will address the philosophical and legal foundations of copyright and their implications for the issue of geographical blocking of online access to film works. It will explain the traditional continental understanding of copyright as property, which is based on the ideas of Locke, Hegel and others and attributes absolute control over the work to the author. This understanding of copyright as property has ethical legitimacy, but leads to paradoxical consequences in the digital environment – in particular, to excessive protection that conflicts with the legitimate interests of consumers and cultural minorities. As an alternative, the Anglo-American concept is presented, which understands copyright not as absolute property but as a limited catalogue of rights to use the work in certain forms, thus enabling more flexible and equitable solutions in digital conflict situations. This distinction is applied to the problem of geographical blocking in streaming services. The analysis shows that blocking is necessary in some cases to secure the value of exclusive licences and the financing of productions, but in other cases it merely protects business models and creates social externalities: discrimination against minorities, restrictions on access to one’s own or foreign culture, and the promotion of piracy. Zahrádka will argue that restrictions lose their legitimacy when they neither protect the actual exercise of copyright nor are effective after a certain period of time. Geographical restrictions can even constitute a waste of rights if the rights holder fails to take advantage of the opportunity to make a work accessible. The lecture therefore proposes that copyright should be understood not only as protection for the author, but also as an obligation to treat cultural content responsibly in the interests of society.

Dr. Pavel Zahrádka, Ph.D. is a researcher at the Department of Media and Cultural Studies and Journalism at the Faculty of Arts of Palacký University Olomouc. He leads research projects on cultural industries with a focus on the film and music sectors.