The ocean is both a life-support system and an economic space. It covers more than 70 per cent of the planet, produces around half of the oxygen we need, absorbs a significant share of human-generated carbon emissions and helps regulate the global climate (United Nations, “Link”). It also supports food production, transport, energy, tourism, employment and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

When COVID-19 vaccines first rolled out, the dominant narrative celebrated scientific triumph. Yet beneath that success lay a more complex legal story. Patents were not the only obstacle, but they became the focal point of a deeper structural tension: how to balance innovation incentives with equitable access. Today, as the global race for climate technologies accelerates, a familiar pattern is emerging.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems are trained on vast datasets containing text, images, and other digital materials, often derived from copyrighted works. This practice has sparked growing legal disputes between creators and AI developers. While creators claim their works are used without authorization, technology companies argue that AI training merely extracts statistical patterns rather than reproducing expressive content. Current debates focus on whether such uses fall within doctrines like fair use in the United States or text-and-data mining (TDM) exceptions in the European Union.