During the 2023-2024 academic year, Professor of the Department of Civil Law, Doctor of Law Kateryna Nekit successfully completed a one-year research and teaching internship at the University of Mannheim (Germany) (https://www.institut-fuer-mittelstandsforschung.de/kos/WNetz?art=Person.show&id=344). The internship included teaching and research activities.
In the first semester, Professor Nekit delivered a course of lectures on ‘Legal Regulation of Digital Assets’, which became an innovative training module for international students of the University of Mannheim. The course covered topical issues of legal regulation of digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, NFTs, AI-generated data and social media, as well as digital inheritance issues. The lectures were aimed at explaining the concepts of digital assets and property, analysing modern approaches to protecting the rights of digital asset owners, and studying legislative approaches to digital property in Europe and the United States.
In the second semester, the course ‘Artificial Intelligence and Private Law’ was developed and scheduled for teaching. The course covered the topics of ethical and philosophical discourse around AI, legal regulation of AI, intellectual property rights to content created by AI, liability of AI, and its application in legal practices.
The results of scientific research in the field of digital assets and peculiarities of digital property were presented at scientific conferences, in particular at the XXII Scientific and Practical Conference dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of V.P. Maslov, as well as at the reporting conference of the National University ‘Odesa Law Academy’.
In addition, Professor Nekit delivered lectures on cryptocurrencies, NFTs and other cryptoassets to students of the University of Hong Kong (https://www.instagram.com/mannheimbschool/p/C4NvpY2qprZ/?img_index=2) and participated in the Summer School on Private Law at the University of Salzburg, where the issues of recodification of private law in Ukraine were discussed (https://onua.edu.ua/en/news/novosti-universiteta/8723-2024-07-19-1).
The research and teaching internship at the University of Mannheim allowed not only to improve the level of teaching, but also to expand scientific contacts, gain international experience and continue researching the legal regulation of digital assets.