Hamlyn Lectures: Lecture 2: 'The Paradoxes of Property: What do we Own and What can we Own?'

Speaker: Professor Dame Sarah Worthington DBE, KC (Hon), FBA, FRSA

The Hamlyn Lectures are normally delivered in the autumn and the annual Hamlyn Seminar, which marks the publication of the lecture, is usually held in London in the following spring. This event is the second of three lectures.

This lecture turns to the objects of ownership. What can we legally own, and how; and how are such interests created and extinguished? The focus ranges from traditional to emerging objects of ownership, concentrating on the more contested resources.

The lecture covers longstanding doctrinal and social debates over property in information, ideas, body parts and image rights; it also includes contemporary debates over ownership of cryptoassets, NFTs, AI-generated art and personal data. By probing these areas, this lecture highlights the tensions involved in regulating these novel forms of valued resources.

This event is open to Faculty members, students and visitors. The lecture will take place on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 6pm. There will be coffee and tea available before the lecture from 5.15pm.

Please reserve your place. Numbers are required to enable us to manage the room capacity and also the numbers for catering.

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