Week 30/2026
Egal, wie starr die Regeln sind
NSFW
This week's song is a funny persiflage of Reinhard Mey, his style and his legal activism. There are two reasons for this choice: First, the author, Lennart Schilgen, was one of he show acts in Hannover's Kleines Fest im Großen Garten that I visited this week (see below). Second, it has rather interesting facets while we are discussing personality rights, the right to one's voice and style in times of AI as Schilgen is excellent in imitating Mey without his permission and with no profit for him.
The YouTube Short has > 40.000 Likes, almost 1000 comments and shows the performance.
Here's a full (audio only) version:
I would have loved to hear "Ich wollte wie Elvis singen", the casus belli, as well, but didn't find it on the internet any longer.
Schilgen is als writing a rare genre of funny poetry ad has a radio program for this - Der Verseflüsterer with masterpieces such as "ICE nach NRW".
He's scheduled to give a concert in Vienna and one in Linz in January 2027.
Retrospect
Social Media Bans for Kids
I was interviewed by ORF III aktuell on social media bans for kids. It's the first time I saw an ORF-team using one single standard iPhone as the only camera device and the Rode Wireless Go as the only microphone - very much like in the random home studio of a random YouTuber like me.
I took the interview as an occasion to dig deeper, once again, into the topic. Two interesting trends: First,just as expected by almost everybody, the Australian social media ban for kids is - surprise, surprise - not working - as a first, recent study indicates.
Here's an interesting debate on the matter (with the usual sound and image issues of this format, but the content is relevant):
Second, this doesn't hinder the European Commission, chased by member states like Austria sprinting ahead with a call for national legislation, to announce that they wish to introduce the very same ban in Europe.
The European initiative is based on a commissioned, well written study, written by medical experts (not lawyers).
It will be very interesting to see what, precisely, will be suggested later in summer/autumn.
Research Integrity
The Austrian Agency for Research Integrity (OEAWI) is - just like any other research or research ethics Institution - affected by all the changes in research and research organisation driven by AI and all the other digital changes. That's one of the reasons why the organisation has discussed a new code on research integrity for over a year. It was about time, indeed, as the old code is from 2015.
Having been a member of OEAWI's commission for over five years, I was quite intensely involved in the new code's drafting and writing. After, I don't know, hundreds of hours spent on drafting, discussing, drafting again, it was, once again, a lesson on how complex, painful and time consuming the joint writing of such a document ist. But, finally, OEAWI's general assembly agreed on a new version that is published now. So far, only a German version is available, but an English translation will follow soon.
I was very impressed by all the people who participated in this so wisely and intensely and taught me so much, in particular Christof Gattringer, Regina Aebi-Mueller, Sabine Chai, Robert Rebitsch, Christian Wadsack, Peter Putz, Lars Laubhold, Christoph Benda, Eva Korus, Michael Hofer, Claudia Stermsek, Susann Fiedler.
How to properly deal with AI remains a challenge, however, also in the new code.
LLP
The Legal Literacy Project did an episode on restorative justice and alternative formats of conflict resolution in criminal law.
International Data Law Forum (IDLF)
I attended this conference for the first time and was impressed by the quality of the debates and the diversity of input given. In particular, I appreciated the very nuanced and well founded answer on the question "Is European Data Protection Law Working?", given by Helen Dixon, former head of the Irish Data Protection Commission.
She, and the following panel I was part of, covered, in particular issues of international data transfer after the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Slaughter, digital omnibus and user rights in times of AI and LLMs. Toby Spanton, Legal Director at UK's Information Commissioner's Office, reported that the amount of claims at his office have increased from 35.000 per year to now 60.000, presumably due to LLM-usage by private individuals. Cecilia Álvarez, Director Privacy Policy EMEA at Meta, elaborated well the hypocrisy lying behind decisions on adequate levels of data protection in Non-EU countries. And I focused on the failed big promises of "One continent, one law" and "Fit for the Internet age" GDPR was announced with.
Prospect
Women in Law
The yearly Women in law Conference is approaching and we are currently having first preparatory panel meetings.
I will appear on a panel on "male allies". The event will take place in Vienna from September 10th-12th, the program for 2026 is online, here's "my" panel.
Tickets are available, no stream.
Look and Feel
Kleines Fest im Großen Garten
The "Kleines Fest im Großen Garten" (Small festival in the large garden) is a marvelous event in Hannover and a cultural institution. It happens in the large garden of Herrenhäuser Gärten - a beautiful baroque garden ensemble with worldwide reputation.
More than 100 artists perform in the garden, the public is invited to stroll freely from attraction to attraction between 18.00 and 24.00, to bring their own food and drinks, to have a picknick and to let the mind wander freely. It's a unique composition of athletics, music, poetry and fun. I had never seen anything like this before, until I went there for the first time in 2010 or so - and have returned whenever possible since then.
In 2026, I was lucky enough to buy last minute tickets online rather easily (in earlier times getting a ticket was almost like making a jackpot in a lottery). After some debates and frictions during the last years, this year's version is somehow a mixture between back to the roots, more local input and new acts.
I liked it a lot.
The program ended with a song about Hannover, sung by Matthias Brodowy and its beauty that is quite funny (and quite popular, at least in Hannover).
The song makes reference to Kurt Schwitters, his text about Hannover,
and his poem An Anna Blume (that was hanging in my Hannover office for 15 years, as some readers might recall).
recht:zeitig
My former colleague Prof. Dr. Susanne Beck, currently dean of Leibniz Universität Hannover's law school, is one of six hosts of a rather new and very nice podcast: recht:zeitig. They offer a very interesting view on matters of criminal and public law in hot topics such as court communication on social media.
Data Centers
Die Dunkelkammer has a very interesting interview with Prof. Dr. Gernot Stöglehner on the planned data center in Kronstorf - a tiny village (3500 inhabitants) in Upper Austria.
This project is getting more public attention at the moment - with very different views (see Google on the one hand, ORF, Wiener Zeitung, Der Standard on the other). Der Falter has a long read (Paywall) about it.
Stöglehner is very good and very pragmatic in explaining the (hidden) costs of such a project, in partiucular in terms of energy consumption and heat. Ironically, Kronstorf, isn't that different from New York here - in the problems, not necessarily in the political/legal answers.
Federal Prosecutor's Office (Bundesanwaltschaft)
The current draft law is heavily criticised by many. Let me highlight an excellent article (Paywall) from the former dean of UNIVIE's law school, Prof. Dr. Heinz Mayer in Der Falter. This is his last paragraph:
The Generalprokuratur isn't less clear in their statement either.
Have a wonderful week and take care of yourself!
Kind regards
Nikolaus (Forgó)
