Presentations in this session by:

• Colbert Gwain Fulai, CEO, A Common Future

In 2024, Cameroon enacted its Personal Data Protection Law, a landmark legislation aimed at safeguarding citizens' data privacy. This law establishes a framework for data protection, outlines obligations for data controllers and processors, and provides penalties for non-compliance. Successful implementation of this law can serve as a model for other African countries, influencing the design of their own data protection legislations. Key aspects that can be replicated include: - Establishment of a national data protection authority - Data subject rights and consent mechanisms - Data breach notification requirements - Cross-border data transfer regulations By studying Cameroon's experience, other African countries can develop effective data protection frameworks, promoting trust in digital services and economic growth. My presentation would seek to explore the opportunities and challenges of Cameroon's Personal Data Protection Law and its potential impact on the African digital landscape.

• Stijn Debie, PhD Researcher, Institute for Family Property Law, KU Leuven: Towards a coherent transatlantic understanding of legal B2C- and G2C-relationships

Incongruent legal perspectives on the data economy are often depicted by the parable of the blind men: scholars from different private law domains rely on concepts and definitions specific to their field of study, preventing them from identifying shared understandings. The proliferation of data protection, consumer and market regulations — such as the ALI-ELI Principles for a Data Economy and the EU Data Act — has further intensified this fragmentation.

Since the early 20th century, Anglo-American and Continental European legal scholars have shared an understanding of civil relationships through Hohfeldian legal conceptions. Given their long-standing use and proven analytical value, these conceptions promise greater coherence in the implementation of supranational privacy and consumer regulations — not only between Anglo-American and Continental European jurisdictions, but also across private law domains. By applying the framework to business-to-consumer (B2C) and government-to-consumer (G2C) relationships, this presentation demonstrates how Hohfeldian conceptions can move the debate beyond fragmented perspectives and lay the foundation for a more coherent transatlantic understanding of such relationships.

This session is hosted by Stijn Debie.