KR21 stands for Knowledge Rights in the 21st Century.
This – and the education, knowledge valorisation and cultural participation it enables – are essential for innovation and development, and must be available to everyone in the information society, free of unnecessary hindrance or limitation.
To achieve this, we believe that we need a modern legislative framework that places current research, education and scientific practice front and centre.
The Latest
Mapping the European Rights Retention Community of Practice: Mobilising Change
Blog post by Clara Riera Rights retention is gaining momentum across Europe. To make this progress more visible, we mapped where members of the European…
Innovation Act, Industrial Access Charter, ERA Act: Who Will Fix Copyright for Research Partnerships?
Right from the start of the current mandate of the European Commission, there has been an emphasis on promoting innovation. Seen as essential for ensuring…
Choose Europe… or Are Research & Science Better Supported by Copyright Laws Elsewhere?
Europe fails researchers in 7 cases. Europe faces increasingly intense competition for research talent. The Choose Europe for Science initiative responds by helping attract and…
Poison Pills
Copyright reform is again on the horizon in Europe. Not only is the 2019 Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market under evaluation, but…
A Pact Against Gold-Plating the Research Exception?
In the State of the EU address last week, Commission President von der Leyen announced, to some applause, the idea of a ‘Pact against gold-plating’.…
KR21 European e-Books & e-Lending Community of Practice – First Meeting
When? What? Established by the KR21 programme, the Community of Practice provides a space to share experiences, exchange knowledge, and collaborate on practical solutions to…
European Rights Retention Community of Practice – Eleventh Meeting
When? What? This Community of Practice is an online collaborative space designed to bring together professionals to discuss and tackle the challenges around rights retention…
It’s Good to Be Back (But It’s Going to Be Busy…)
The months between now and the end of the year are likely to be among the most intense of this mandate of the European Parliament…
Stronger Together: Finland’s Universities Reclaim Author Rights
Blog post by Pirjo Kangas Across Europe, the movement to reclaim control over scholarly outputs is gaining momentum, including in Finland, where the Finnish University…
Copyright Reform Needs a Story
Blog post by Signe Krantz There will have been a before and an after the Summer Course on International Copyright Law & Policy 2026 at…
Open Science in Moldova: A Regulation Worth Reinforcing with a Secondary Publication Right
Blog post by Mariana Harjevschi The recent adoption of the Regulation on Open Science in the Republic of Moldova marks an important milestone in the…
Licence to Chill: Launching the 100 Contracts Study
Blog post by Ana Lazarova Libraries are essential infrastructures for research, education, culture, and lifelong learning. Every day, academic, public, research, and school libraries connect…
Preventing Contract Override: Recommendations for Libraries and Legislators
Blog post by Benjamin White A Study of 100 Contracts, published by Knowledge Rights 21, shines a light on the critical issue that contracts severely undermine…
The Digital Omnibus on Data Must Work for Research Too
The Digital Omnibus on Data, the first major piece of legislation to reach the European Parliament and Council in the 2024-2029 mandate, is being built…
Welcoming the Irish EU Presidency
Throughout the second half of 2026, Irish representatives will take charge of the vast majority of meetings of the European Union’s Member States. As usual,…
Exception to the Exception: A Win for the Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision
Blog post by Maarten ZeinstraSee also the Kluwer Copyright Blog post by Ariadna Matas and Maarten In November 2025, Knowledge Rights 21 (KR21) reported on…
Because, Because … ! European Commission Says Consumers Take a Back Seat to Copyright: Erasure of Content Can Continue
Stop Killing Games is just the 14th European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) in as many years to have received the over 1 million signatures necessary to…
Europe’s Copyright Framework Is Failing Researchers
Blog Post by Dr Konrad Gliściński LL.M. (Intellectual Property Law Chair JU/ Centrum Cyfrowe) Research today is international, digital, data-intensive, and collaborative by default. Scientists…
It Just Ain’t Right: Why Open Access Mandates Without Secondary Publication Rights Are a Recipe for Unfairness
It is looking increasingly likely that a secondary publication right (SPR) will feature on the European Union’s legislative agenda in the coming years. Having been…
Rome Conference Charts the Road Ahead for Open Science under the European Research Area Act
Blog post by Deborah De Angelis On 10 June 2026, the conference “Open Science through the Prism of the European Research Area (ERA) Act: The Work…
Safeguard Access, Empower Europe
An Action Plan to Let Libraries be Libraries
The mission of libraries is under threat. Not just from budget cuts or censorship, but from a “silent” crisis: a legal and market framework that is systematically stripping libraries of their right to function. Libraries are being written out of the digital age. It’s time to write them back in.
KR21’s library Action Plan sets out 9 actions to ensure Europe’s libraries can continue to support research, education, preservation, and cultural participation in the digital age.
Specific Topics
e-Books & Digital Lending
e-Books and digital lending expand access, convenience, and knowledge sharing globally.
Research & AI
AI transforms industries, enhances decision-making, and redefines human-computer interaction.
Rights Retention
Rights retention ensures creators maintain control, distribution authority, and receive fair compensation.
Secondary Publishing Rights
Knowledge for a Stronger Europe
KR21’s Action Plan sets out 12 policy recommendations for the 2024-2029 EU legislature.
About KR21
Our Mission
KR21’s mission is to bring about changes in legislation and practice across Europe that will strengthen the right of all to knowledge.
We believe the free and open sharing of knowledge is essential for education, innovation and cultural participation.
Our Team & Network
Through our Policy Committee, Brussels-based staff and a network of Europe-wide national coordinators, under the oversight of our Management Committee, we seek to promote our goals to policymakers and stakeholders.