Curriculum vitae

Taina Pihlajarinne, LL.D., is a Professor of Copyright Law and a Docent of Commercial Law. Her research and teaching focus on intellectual property rights (IPR).

Her long-term research interests include:
1. the relationship between sustainability and IPRs/private law;
2. the impacts of digitalization and technological advances on IPRs; and
3. the development of new legal doctrines and concepts within IPR to meet current and future technological and societal needs.

Professor Pihlajarinne has published more than 100 articles and book chapters, five scientific monographs, and four internationally edited volumes. While her initial research focused on trademarks and new technology, she has since broadened her scope to examine the relationship between copyright and technology, particularly AI, as well as sustainability from the perspectives of copyright, patent, and trademark law. Ultimately, her work explores overarching societal changes and their impact on IPRs.

She has extensive experience leading research projects, having secured over 1.8 million euros in competitive funding as a Principal Investigator (PI) since 2012. She holds or has held various academic leadership positions and she served as the Vice Dean for Research at the Faculty of Law from 2018 to 2021.

Pihlajarinne regularly contributes to legislative preparatory work and serves on evaluation committees for academic appointments both in Finland and abroad. She also frequently appears in the media and the legal practice as an expert. Furthermore, she is a member of the "Sustainability Law" research group, the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.