South Asian Technology Law Conclave, 2025

About the Conclave

The South Asian Technology Law Conclave, 2025 is a landmark initiative designed to explore the legal, policy, and ethical dimensions of emerging technologies within the South Asian context. Organised by the Centre for Development of Intellectual Property and Research (CDIPR) in association with the Future of Life Institute (FLI) and Cambridge – Teachers of Tomorrow, this conclave represents the first flagship programme under the 2nd South Asian Global Intellectual Property Summit 2025. Amidst accelerating innovation in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Metaverse environments, Quantum Computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), the regulatory landscape in South Asia remains fragmented and in need of comprehensive discourse. This conclave seeks to serve as a pioneering platform that brings together legal scholars, technologists, industry leaders, policymakers, and academics to deliberate on the challenges and opportunities these technologies pose. The event is envisioned as a catalyst for fostering collaboration, driving regional legal harmonization, and laying the groundwork for technology governance rooted in human rights, equity, and digital sovereignty.

Theme

“Navigating the Future: Technology Law and Policy for a Digital South Asia”

This theme underscores the urgency and relevance of creating legal and policy frameworks that are future-ready, ethically grounded, and sensitive to the diverse social, political, and economic landscapes of South Asia. It aims to promote critical engagement with the transformational impact of digital technologies and advocate for inclusive governance models.

Conclave Overview

Set on the backdrop of South Asia’s rapidly evolving technology ecosystems, the South Asian Technology Law Conclave, 2025 aims to offer a multidimensional approach to understanding and shaping the legal governance of emerging technologies. As countries in the region adapt to the fourth industrial revolution, the law must evolve to meet new realities concerning data governance, digital identity, online property rights, decentralized finance, and cybersecurity. The conclave will consist of keynote sessions, expert panel discussions, workshops, and paper presentations that critically engage with comparative legal systems, regional integration, and ethical governance. Delegates will examine the regulatory vacuum in emerging sectors and discuss strategies for building robust, inclusive, and enforceable legal frameworks. As a pivotal event under the umbrella of the 2nd South Asian Global IP Summit 2025, the conclave is committed to fostering policy innovation, academic exchange, and legal foresight across national borders.

Key Focus Areas

1. Legal and Ethical Governance of Artificial Intelligence: Exploration of the legal implications of AI deployment, focusing on liability attribution, transparency, algorithmic fairness, and ethical principles that ensure responsible AI use across sectors.

2. Blockchain Law and Regulatory Compliance in Fintech: Analysis of decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts, and crypto-assets. Discussions will explore legal recognition, regulatory inconsistencies, and financial inclusion in the blockchain age.

3. Governance of Immersive Spaces: Metaverse and Virtual Property Rights: Consideration of ownership, rights enforcement, taxation, consumer protection, and jurisdiction in virtual environments such as metaverses, augmented realities, and digital marketplaces.

4. Data Protection and Cross-Border Privacy Challenges: Comparative assessments of data protection laws across South Asia and beyond, with a focus on cross-border data flows, consent architecture, data localization, and regional privacy harmonization.

5. IoT Governance and Liability Frameworks: Evaluation of the regulatory mechanisms for interconnected systems and devices, including discussions on liability in case of failures, cybersecurity obligations, and consumer safety standards.

6. Future of Digital Identity in South Asia: Legal and policy considerations surrounding biometric authentication, digital ID systems, interoperability, access rights, and inclusion, especially in marginalized communities.

7. Building Regional Legal Harmonization for Emerging Tech: Frameworks for collaborative legal standard-setting, addressing differences among national laws, and building joint regulatory platforms for collective oversight of emerging technologies.

8. National Security, Surveillance, and Digital Civil Liberties: Critical discussions on digital surveillance, intelligence regulation, state overreach, privacy rights, and the broader impact of national security measures on civil liberties in the digital age.

International Publication Opportunity

Participants whose papers are selected through peer review will have the opportunity to contribute to an International edited volume titled: “Bytes and Rights: Global Insights on Technology, Media and Cyber Policy, Law and Governance” with International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-81-984132-8-4. This publication will bring together leading research from across the globe and be distributed internationally to universities, libraries, research centres and policy institutions. It will be indexed and referenced to support future academic and policy research in the field of technology law.

Themes for Paper Submission

Participants are encouraged to submit papers on the following suggested topics, or any other topic that aligns with the broader theme of the conference:

1. Artificial Intelligence and Legal Accountability: Examining frameworks for AI regulation, algorithmic transparency, bias mitigation, and liability attribution in automated decision-making.

2. Blockchain and the Law- Regulating Decentralized Economies: Legal challenges in regulating decentralized finance (DeFi), smart contracts, and crypto-assets across different South Asian jurisdictions.

3. The Metaverse and Virtual Jurisprudence: Legal recognition of virtual spaces, property rights in the metaverse, taxation of digital assets, and consumer protection.