Copyright in the European Research Area (ERA): current trends in the evolution of the legal framework against the background of the ERA Act legislative initiative

<jats:p>The article examines current trends in the legal regulation of copyright within the European Research Area (ERA) in the context of the forthcoming ERA Act. Based on an analysis of European Union strategic documents, European Commission studies, the Call for Evidence on the ERA Act, comparative research on the legislation of EU Member States, and empirical evidence on open science, the study demonstrates that copyright is gradually acquiring a broader function as a legal mechanism supporting the free circulation of scientific knowledge. Particular attention is paid to the comparative analysis of national models of the Secondary Publication Right as an emerging instrument for improving public access to publicly funded research. The article concludes that, for Ukraine, the principal value lies not in the direct transplantation of individual European legal solutions but in taking into account the broader transformation of copyright within the evolving European Research Area and the development of open science policies.</jats:p>