Melanie Stockton-Brown

Dr. Melanie Stockton-Brown is a Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Reading's School of Law, where she also serves as Director of Widening Participation and an Academic Tutor. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on copyright law's intersection with synthetic media, cultural heritage preservation, and AI-driven creative processes. Key affiliations include the Synthetic Media Research Network and the AHRC BRAID project on Human-AI collaboration in media creation.

Her work bridges legal scholarship and creative practice, evidenced by her award-winning film Beloved (2021) exploring Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, exhibited in festivals across Brazil, Italy, and the UK. She has published extensively on topics like out-of-commerce film preservation, zine culture's legal dimensions, and copyright challenges in emerging media forms.

Recent projects include analyzing tattooing as a form of legal authorship and advocating for equitable access to cultural archives. Her research emphasizes practical solutions at the intersection of technology, law, and creative industries.