On 7 September 2026 at 2:30 PM, the public defence of the doctoral dissertation by Ramunė Žiedė (doctoral student of the Department of Criminal Justice) will take place at the Faculty of Law of Vilnius University, in the Kazimieras Leonas Sapiega Auditorium (Room 302).
Title of the dissertation: “Criminal Liability for Misappropriation of Authorship”
ANNOTATION:
The dissertation examines criminal liability for misappropriation of authorship under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania. It analyses and substantiates the compliance of this offence with general criminalisation criteria, including the dangerousness (harmfulness) of the act, the ultima ratio principle, prevalence and others. The study analyses the historical development of criminal liability for misappropriation of authorship in Lithuania and foreign countries, from the emergence of the first relevant legal norms to the present day, including developments in the historical territories of Lithuania. It examines international and European Union regulation of intellectual property offences, compares Lithuanian criminal law with that of all 27 EU Member States, and provides an analysis of the elements of the basic and qualified forms of the offence, relevant case law, penalties, and the place and role of this provision within the legal system. The dissertation also addresses issues concerning the distinction between copyright infringements subject to civil, administrative, or criminal liability, as well as the qualification of criminal acts. The conclusions propose amendments to certain elements of the offence and the wording of Article 191 of the Criminal Code.
The dissertation was prepared at Vilnius University from 2016 to 2020 and is defended on an external basis.
Academic supervisor (2016–2020): Prof. Dr. Armanas Abramavičius (Vilnius University).
Academic consultant: Prof. Habil. Dr. Gintaras Švedas (Vilnius University).
DEFENCE BOARD:
Chairman – Prof. Habil. Dr. Vytautas Nekrošius (Vilnius University)
Members:
– Prof. Dr. Marek Fryštak (Masaryk University, Czech Republic)
– Prof. Dr. Gabrielė Juodkaitė-Granskienė (Vilnius University)
– Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gintautas Sakalauskas (Vilnius University)
– Prof. Dr. Vigita Vėbraitė (Vilnius University)
Venue:
Vilnius University, Faculty of Law, Kazimieras Leonas Sapiega Auditorium (Room 302), Saulėtekio av. 9, Vilnius, Lithuania.
The dissertation is available for review at the Library of Vilnius University and here.
The defence of dissertation can also be viewed remotely through this link.