Dr Paula Westenberger
Senior Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law

Summary

Dr Paula Westenberger is a Senior Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel University London, where she teaches and convenes undergraduate and postgraduate intellectual property law modules at Brunel Law School. She is a member of the Centre for Artificial Intelligence at Brunel University. She joined Brunel in 2018, having previously held positions at Queen Mary University of London and Buckinghamshire New University. 

Paula holds a PhD (with Scholarship awarded by the Centre for Commercial Law Studies) and an LLM in Intellectual Property Law from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), and an LLB from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), where she was also part of the Human Rights Centre research group "Simulações e Realidade". Paula also holds a Postraduate Certificate in Curating and Collections Management (Birkbeck) and a Postraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (Brunel).

She is currently a Bridging Responsible AI Divides (BRAID) Research Fellow, leading the 18-month project Responsible AI for Heritage: copyright and human rights perspectives in partnership with RBG Kew (AHRC funded). She is currently researching the interface between cultural heritage, artificial intelligence and copyright law. Her research interests cover the intersection between copyright law, human rights and culture, with particular focus on topics including limitations and exceptions to copyright, the use of digital technology by cultural heritage institutions, and the relationship between artistic freedom and copyright law. 

Paula has founded and leads the Heritage AI and Law (HAIL) Network. She is also Deputy Editor for the European Copyright and Design Reports (ECDR), a member of the British Literary and Artistic Copyright Association (BLACA) and of the Society for Legal Scholars (SLS), and a peer reviewer for academic journals. Paula is a qualified lawyer in Brazil, where she has practiced in the field of intellectual property law since 2006.

Qualifications

Degrees:

Postgraduate Certificate in Curating and Collections Management, Birkbeck University of London (2024)

Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice, Brunel University of London (2019)

PhD, Queen Mary University of London (2018)

LLM, Queen Mary University of London (2012)

LLB, Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) (2010)

Other professional qualifications:

Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (2019)

Brazilian qualified lawyer (Rio de Janeiro section - OAB/RJ) (2010)

Responsibility

Paula's resposibilities include research and teaching and convening undergraduate and postgraduate Intellectual Property Law courses at Brunel Law School.