Helsinki Information Law Moot Court 2027, Finland [International; Register by 15 October 2026; Oral Rounds 15-16 April 2027]

The Helsinki Information Law Moot Court is an international student competition that introduces students to information law, covering topics such as data protection, access to documents and governmental surveillance. It brings together students from around the world for a mock trial based on an information law problem, and the organisers describe it as an educational programme.

According to the 2027 Rules of Procedure, the moot is organised by Sam Wrigley and Tobias Bräutigam, both affiliated with the University of Helsinki. The final oral rounds are normally held in Helsinki. The 2027 problem has been published and registration is open until 15 October 2026.

The 2027 problem concerns Short Light Industries, a company established in the fictional EU Member State of Newtonia, which runs Confessionals, a cloud-based diary service. The company processed users' diary entries to build a synthetic dataset, which it sells to partners as anonymised data, together with a smaller set of scrubbed original text.

The problem turns on whether such synthetic and scrubbed data is truly anonymous or still personal data, particularly for a purchaser that has no access to the original dataset, and on the privacy notice the service showed its users. The full problem can be downloaded from the moot's website.

The competition is open to undergraduate and master's level students, entering in teams that usually represent a university. Every team member must:

• be registered as an active degree student at an associate, undergraduate or master's level (or equivalent);
• not currently be considered a practising lawyer in their local jurisdiction;
• not be a member of a legal professional body, such as a bar association or roll of solicitors;
• not have worked full-time as a legal professional for more than 60 cumulative months, including traineeships and clerkships.

In case of doubt, the organisers decide.

• Teams consist of 2 to 4 active mooters and may optionally include up to 4 research members, with no more than 8 members in total. The role of each member (active mooter or research member) must be stated at registration.
• Each university may be represented by only one team, and a team should normally consist of students from a single university. Where a team combines students from two or more universities, those universities may not have members on any other team.
• Teams may include one or two coaches, who need not be associated with a university but should normally have some connection with the team or university. Coaches must not develop substantive legal points for the team.
• Teams should be fixed at registration; later changes are allowed only exceptionally and with the organisers' approval.

Each team submits two written memorandums, one for the applicant/claimant and one for the defendant, each in both document format (for example .docx or .odt) and PDF, through the submission form on the website by 9 December 2026.

• Main argumentation of up to 5,000 words, not counting references.
• A title page and a header or footer on every page carrying the team identification code issued after registration; no other identifying information (names, university or country) may appear.
• A list of references, preferably in OSCOLA style, and English translations of any decisive non-English authorities.
• An optional memo template is provided on the website.

Memos are scored out of 50: up to 35 points for legal analysis and argumentation and up to 15 for presentation and style. Late submissions are not considered except in exceptional circumstances, and may then attract a penalty of up to five points.

Teams whose memos score above the qualifying level set by the judges are invited to the oral rounds, with a maximum of 8 teams invited. If the scores do not clearly separate the teams, the organisers may hold qualifying rounds by video call. Invitations are distributed on 28 January 2027 and the oral rounds, with the announcement of the winner, take place on 15 and 16 April 2027.

Each hearing lasts 90 minutes before three judges, with two speakers per team: 25 minutes each for the applicant's and respondent's main arguments, 15 minutes each for replies, and 10 minutes reserved for the judges. The language of the moot is English throughout. Prizes are awarded for the winner as decided each year.

The official website, rules and registration form do not charge or mention any registration fee. However, teams are responsible for their own costs, and teams invited to the oral rounds bear all the costs of travelling to Helsinki.

Register through the form on the moot's website by 15 October 2026. The form asks for the team name, university name, the names and email addresses of the team members, a contact person and that person's email, the coach or coaches with their email addresses, and a confirmation that all team members meet the eligibility criteria in the Rules of Procedure. Each team receives an identification code after registration.

If the website form is not working, registration may exceptionally be made by email to contact@infolawmoot.fi, and is complete only once the organisers confirm it. All deadlines expire at 23:59 Helsinki time on the stated date.