Sunimal Mendis

Sunimal Mendis is an Assistant Professor in Intellectual Property Law at Tilburg University's Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT). His research focuses on the intersection of copyright law, technological innovation, and the digital economy, with an emphasis on AI, big data, and digitization. He holds a PhD magna cum laude from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany.

Education:

• PhD in Intellectual Property Law, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (2019)
• LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Competition Law, Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (2009)
• LL.B., University of Colombo (2007)

Research Interests: Copyright law's role in regulating socio-technical change, democratic discourse in digital spaces, and balancing user rights with copyright enforcement. His work contributes to UN SDGs related to education and innovation.

Awards:

• ATRIP Essay Competition Winner (2018)
• Nominated for Best Teacher (Major Course) (2025)

Projects Leadership:

• Principal Investigator: CODiS (Re-imagining Copyright Law in the Digital Public Sphere)
• Co-PI: DIGI-APPS (Digital Governance of Internet for Accessible Protected Public Spheres)

Teaching: Courses include 'Regulating Content in a Platformized Society' and 'Intellectual Property and Privacy' at Tilburg University and other institutions.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with the Digital Humanism Initiative (TU Wien) on human rights-centered digital policies.