Hardback
Research Handbook of Metaverse and Law
This Research Handbook analyzes the role of law in a universe fractured by new disruptive technologies such as metaverse platforms. Contributing authors explore how the law will adapt as new dimensions of the metaverse are introduced to issues such as intellectual property rights, e-commerce, NFTs and cryptocurrencies, data privacy, contract law, as well as human rights, consumer law and criminal law. The abuse and manipulation of users is studied in several contributions.
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Critical Acclaim
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This Research Handbook analyzes the role of law in a universe fractured by new and disruptive technologies such as metaverse platforms. Contributing authors explore how the law will and must adapt as new dimensions are introduced to issues such as intellectual property rights, e-commerce, NFTs and cryptocurrencies, data privacy, contract law, but also human rights, consumer law and criminal law. The issue of abuse and manipulation of users is the focus of several contributions.
In this innovative Research Handbook, global experts discuss the philosophical and legal questions raised by the use of immersive platforms for leisure and gaming, as well as professional, commercial and medical activities. The authors employ legal frameworks to understand the metaverse from the perspectives of personality, property, obligation, harm, and liability, examining how current law succeeds and falters in regulating the challenges presented by virtual worlds. They consider the dangers to ordinary citizens and vulnerable consumers and provide insights on how legislation should be developed prior to the creation of a fully functioning metaverse in order to prevent the erosion of fundamental human rights.
This book is a crucial resource for scholars and students of Web 3.0 and AI law. Its comprehensive coverage of the intersection between law and the metaverse is indispensable for professionals in the field.
In this innovative Research Handbook, global experts discuss the philosophical and legal questions raised by the use of immersive platforms for leisure and gaming, as well as professional, commercial and medical activities. The authors employ legal frameworks to understand the metaverse from the perspectives of personality, property, obligation, harm, and liability, examining how current law succeeds and falters in regulating the challenges presented by virtual worlds. They consider the dangers to ordinary citizens and vulnerable consumers and provide insights on how legislation should be developed prior to the creation of a fully functioning metaverse in order to prevent the erosion of fundamental human rights.
This book is a crucial resource for scholars and students of Web 3.0 and AI law. Its comprehensive coverage of the intersection between law and the metaverse is indispensable for professionals in the field.
Critical Acclaim
‘To write a real book about virtual worlds is audacious. To write on virtual worlds, such as the metaverse, before it really exists fully, might seem forgetful of reality. To be ready for the deployment of the metaverse (presented as a network of contracts), actors of many fields need to prepare and adapt to these new challenges. The authors give to the community the full picture of the legal challenges and potential solutions, meeting the expectations of everyone interested. This Research Handbook is not about the future or the virtual, it is about preparing today, in reality, what might well happen in virtual worlds in a couple of years from now. This Research Handbook is the perfect tool to answer many of these challenges, in a thoughtful and effective way.’
– Pascal Pichonnaz, European Law Institute and University of Fribourg, Switzerland
‘Currently, living and working in any digital universe means keeping one foot in realspace. As long as this is so, law can claim regulatory influence in the metaverse via its material and human entry points. However, as this intriguing collection ably demonstrates, law’s public and private silos face unique challenges when dealing with new market arrangements and unique social bonds that populate the virtual. Law must transform to meet these emerging frontiers, not through regressive ascription to established forms that are already under strain in digital commerce and globalized society. The approaches taken by the contributors to incorporate deep theorizing with rich comparative speculation provide the essential food for thought for those who are concerned about law’s regulatory relevance. The chapters covered in this book recognize that collapsing of time and space forever disrupts notions like sovereignty, jurisdiction, and dominion, as the economic and communal rationales even for land-locked law.’
– Mark Findlay, University of Edinburgh, UK
– Pascal Pichonnaz, European Law Institute and University of Fribourg, Switzerland
‘Currently, living and working in any digital universe means keeping one foot in realspace. As long as this is so, law can claim regulatory influence in the metaverse via its material and human entry points. However, as this intriguing collection ably demonstrates, law’s public and private silos face unique challenges when dealing with new market arrangements and unique social bonds that populate the virtual. Law must transform to meet these emerging frontiers, not through regressive ascription to established forms that are already under strain in digital commerce and globalized society. The approaches taken by the contributors to incorporate deep theorizing with rich comparative speculation provide the essential food for thought for those who are concerned about law’s regulatory relevance. The chapters covered in this book recognize that collapsing of time and space forever disrupts notions like sovereignty, jurisdiction, and dominion, as the economic and communal rationales even for land-locked law.’
– Mark Findlay, University of Edinburgh, UK
