{{Short description|Laws concerning 3D virtual worlds}} {{coi|date=April 2025}} {{Lead too short|date=May 2022|reason=Explain the basic idea of metaverses}} '''Metaverse law''' refers to legal systems, policies and theories concerning metaverse technologies involving virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and hyperreality.<ref name=":0" /> Metaverse Law also refers to a privacy, AI, and cybersecurity law firm founded in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Metaverse Law Firm CA {{!}} Privacy, Cybersecurity, and AI Law |url=https://www.metaverselaw.com/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Metaverse Law |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Metaverse law in practice == Metaverse law is in the early stages of development in legal scholarship and legal practice compared to other established legal fields.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Crutchfield |first=Ken |date=2022-01-25 |title=The Metaverse And The Practice Of Law |url=https://abovethelaw.com/2022/01/the-metaverse-and-the-practice-of-law/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Above the Law |language=en-US}}</ref> Also, not all legal practitioners and scholars have recognized metaverse law as a specialized area of study, given the early stage of metaverse technology adoption in the public.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raczynski |first=Joseph |date=2021-10-11 |title=The Metaverse is coming: Is the legal market prepared? |url=https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/legal/legal-metaverse/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=Reuters |language=en-US}}</ref> Instead, some legal practitioners and scholars anticipating the metaverse technology have examined the metaverse by looking at the relationship between traditional legal frameworks and the metaverse.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Greene |first=Jenna |date=2021-05-20 |title=Reed Smith boldly goes where no law firm has gone before — the metaverse |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/legal/reed-smith-boldly-goes-where-no-law-firm-has-gone-before-metaverse-2021-05-20/ |access-date=2022-03-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Garon |first=Jon |date=2022-01-03 |title=Legal Implications of a Ubiquitous Metaverse and a Web3 Future |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4002551 |journal=Conference on American Bar Association Business Law |language=en |location=Rochester, NY |pages= |doi=10.2139/ssrn.4002551 |s2cid=245900453 |via=SSRN|url-access=subscription }}</ref> So for many individuals, metaverse law is spoken in the context of existing laws involving and applying to the metaverse, rather than treating metaverse law as a legal field.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Schuyler |title=Law In The Metaverse |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/schuylermoore/2021/12/22/law-in-the-metaverse/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Wiederhold |first=Jesse |date=2022-03-02 |title=Tech and law experts explain "metaverse" |url=https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2022/03/03/tech-law-experts-explain-metaverse/ |access-date=2022-03-22 |website=NBC |language=en}}</ref>
== Emerging metaverse law theories ==
=== Metaverse law theory === While some people view the metaverse law under the umbrella of established legal fields, others have taken a broader position. For instance, one legal think tank has proposed the theory that metaverse law is a new area of study that must be recognized as a legal field in entirety,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Jinhee |last2=Ramos |first2=Arnaldo R. |last3=Kramer |first3=Michael J. |last4=Gigliotti |first4=Ray |date=2021-10-01 |title=Let's create Metaverse Law Theories |url=https://rgdoi.net/10.13140/RG.2.2.36101.42720/1 |journal=Metaverse Policy Institute |language=en |doi=10.13140/RG.2.2.36101.42720/1 |via=ResearchGate}}</ref> rejecting the view that metaverse law is a sub-discipline of an existing legal discipline. In similar vein, some legal scholars have claimed that the metaverse demands an entirely new legal infrastructure such as independent virtual jurisdiction, legal order, and self-regulating government bodies and constitutions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mostert |first1=Frederick |last2=Yeoh |first2=Wei Ting |date=2022-03-10 |title=Meta-Worse, a lawyer's mega paradise |journal=Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice |volume=jpac008 |via=Oxford University Press}}</ref>
However, some say that the metaverse law theory falls short in practice. Regulators have stated that they need to have a better understanding of the metaverse to create metaverse-specific laws,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Chee |first=Foo |date=2022-02-08 |title=EU's Vestager Says Analysing Metaverse Ahead of Possible Regulatory Action |work=Reuters via U.S. News |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2022-02-08/eus-vestager-says-analysing-metaverse-ahead-of-possible-regulatory-action}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stolton |first=Samuel |date=2022-01-18 |title=Vestager: Metaverse poses new competition challenges |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/metaverse-new-competition-challenges-margrethe-vestager/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=POLITICO |language=en-US}}</ref> and the metaverse market has been struggling to achieve stability.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horowitz |first=Julia |title=Wall Street's metaverse dreams take a hit |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/16/investing/premarket-stocks-trading/index.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=CNN}}</ref> Other critics point out that metaverse is not any more unique than a game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hachman |first=Mark |date=2022-02-03 |title=Microsoft CEO: The metaverse is just games, really |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/611678/microsoft-ceo-the-metaverse-is-just-games.html |access-date=2022-03-19 |website=PCWorld |language=en-US}}</ref> For example, some technology leaders, like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, do not distinguish metaverse from a game.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Waters |first=Richard |date=2022-02-03 |title=Satya Nadella: 'Being great at game building gives us permission to build the next internet' |url=https://www.ft.com/tech-exchange |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=The Financial Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chen |first=Brian X. |date=2022-01-18 |title=What's All the Hype About the Metaverse? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/18/technology/personaltech/metaverse-gaming-definition.html |access-date=2022-03-15 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Distinguishing the metaverse from a game was an important distinction in ''Epic Games v. Apple'', where the plaintiff was unsuccessful in the claim that its software could avoid defendant Apple Inc.'s commission charges on in-app game purchases because plaintiff's software is classified as a metaverse, as opposed to a game. Additionally, proponents of the metaverse law theory also agree that establishing the metaverse law as a legal field necessarily involves studying the intersection between existing legal theories and the metaverse.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Pioneering The Metaverse Law |url=https://www.metaversepolicy.org |website=Metaverse Policy Institute}}</ref>
=== Metalaw === In one opinion article, McCollum suggested that metalaw will emerge as the legal system that governs the metaverse. Citing Haley's 1956 article, ''Space Law and Metalaw – A Synoptic View'', McCollum claimed that metaverse will adopt the terminology, "metalaw," to represent laws associated with metaverse because metalaw describes conditions and rules by which "sapient beings of a different kind" do not follow, unlike the way human beings do on Earth, alluding that extraterrestrial beings may be anything other than humans (i.e., robots).<ref>{{Cite web |last=McCollum |first=Ciarán |date=2022-01-24 |title=Metalaw: the Law of the Metaverse |url=https://www.iotforall.com/metalaw-law-of-metaverse |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=IoT For All |language=en-US}}</ref>
On the other hand, Haley had coined the term, "metalaw," in the context of space law and its relationship to possible governing laws with extraterrestrial life in galactic space (a.k.a. aliens).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Haley |first=Andrew |date=1956 |title=Space law and Metalaw – A Synoptic View |work=Harvard Law Record}}</ref> Haley's intent of defining metalaw for interactions with extraterrestrial beings in space was reaffirmed more than once in a 1957 paper, ''Space Law and Metalaw - Jurisdiction Defined'',<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Haley |first=Andrew |date=1957 |title=Space Law and Metalaw - Jurisdiction Defined |journal=Journal of Air Law and Commerce |volume=24-3 |via=Law Journals at SMU Scholar}}</ref> and in 1956 Congress of the International Astronautical Federation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haley |first=Andrew |date=1956 |title=Space law and metalaw : a synoptic view |url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/722931 |website=Stanford University}}</ref> Additionally, Haley's metalaw theory has been cited by early and modern legal scholars strictly in space law context,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McCollum |first=Rathuel |date=1959 |title=Tort Aspects of Space Technology |journal=Cleveland State Law Review |volume=8 |pages=4}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bohlander |first=Michael |date=2021 |title=Metalaw – What is it good for? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576521003362 |journal=Acta Astronautica |language=en |volume=188 |pages=400–404 |doi=10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.06.039 |bibcode=2021AcAau.188..400B |issn=0094-5765}}</ref> including his critics.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=York |first=Kenneth |date=1958 |title=Basic Problems in Metalaw |url=https://heinonline-org.proxydclaw.wrlc.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/briephid53&id=245&collection=usjournals&index= |journal=Brief |volume=53 |pages=243–245 |via=HeinOnline}}</ref> Some modern scholars have argued that metalaw could be aptly used to create rules governing artificial intelligence; however, this suggestive concept narrowly applies to the relationship between humans and robotic intelligence, which is not specific to the metaverse.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Muzyka |first=Kamil |date=2020 |title=The basic rules for coexistence: The possible applicability of metalaw for human-AGI relations |url= |journal=Journal of Behavioral Robotics |volume=11 |pages=104–117 |doi=10.1515/pjbr-2020-0011|s2cid=215770191 }}</ref>
=== Crime === {{Further information|Virtual crime}} The word "metaverse" first appeared in criminal law studies in 2008, ''Fantasy Crime: The Role of Criminal Law in Virtual Worlds,'' by Susan W. Brenner.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Brenner |first=Susan |date=2008 |title=Fantasy Crime: The Role of Criminal Law in Virtual Worlds |url=https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/jetlaw/vol11/iss1/1 |journal=Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law |volume=11 |via=Vanderbilt University}}</ref> Because metaverse existed in limited forms at the time of publication in 2008, Brenner anchored her analysis from Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel: ''Snow Crash'', which is credited to be the birth of the metaverse concept by many people.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huddleston Jr. |first=Tom |date=2021-11-03 |title=This 29-year-old book predicted the 'metaverse' — and some of Facebook's plans are eerily similar |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/03/how-the-1992-sci-fi-novel-snow-crash-predicted-facebooks-metaverse.html |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> In her legal analysis, Brenner addressed harms that can theoretically transfer from virtual spaces to the physical world such as virtual rape and pedophilia. Even though Brenner published her study more than a decade ago in 2008, the types of harm addressed by her paper surfaced as a common issue topic in the 2020s, where people frequently report unwanted sexual contacts and threats by other metaverse users.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shen |first=Michelle |title=Sexual harassment in the metaverse? Woman alleges rape in virtual world |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2022/01/31/woman-allegedly-groped-metaverse/9278578002/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Frenkel |first1=Sheera |last2=Browning |first2=Kellen |date=2021-12-30 |title=The Metaverse's Dark Side: Here Come Harassment and Assaults |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/30/technology/metaverse-harassment-assaults.html |access-date=2022-03-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> At the same time, Brenner examined the metaverse as a subset of virtual crimes under criminal law, as opposed to treating the metaverse law as a legal field or as a subset of cyberlaw.<ref name=":2" />
=== Sub-discipline perspective === Some legal scholars have approached the metaverse law subject through a subclass perspective. Although these scholars have adopted the "metaverse law" terminology to represent a legal discipline, they view metaverse law as a sub-discipline of cyberlaw.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-14 |title=Objectives – Metaverse Law Nucleus |url=http://www.themetaverselaw.org/objectives/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314195243/http://www.themetaverselaw.org/objectives/ |archive-date=March 14, 2022 |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=The Wayback Machine}}</ref>
== Existing laws regulating the metaverse sector == There is still a lot of development needed in the Metaverse to understand the full scope of law that will be applicable in the field. Some of the laws that are currently being practiced in this field are listed below:
=== Privacy Law === Because companies often collect user information and share data without user knowledge as common practice,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Uberti |first=David |date=2022-01-04 |title=Come the Metaverse, Can Privacy Exist? |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/come-the-metaverse-can-privacy-exist-11641292206 |access-date=2022-03-14 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> privacy experts raise concerns that immersive metaverse experience opens bigger doors for privacy abuse and surveillance by companies.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hunter |first=Tatum |date=2022-01-13 |title=Surveillance will follow us into 'the metaverse,' and our bodies could be its new data source |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/01/13/privacy-vr-metaverse/}}</ref> So perhaps unsurprisingly, privacy has been a frequently examined topic in metaverse law and legal experts,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fuller |first=Michaela |date=2021 |title=Legal Issues Ripe for Picking with Shift to the Metaverse |url=https://jolt.richmond.edu/2021/11/25/legal-issues-ripe-for-picking-with-shift-to-the-metaverse/ |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=Richmond Journal of Law and Technology |language=en-US}}</ref> and proponents of privacy governance argue that self-governing metaverse communities are insufficient to safeguard privacy protection of users.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ronald |first=Leenes |title=The Future of Identity in the Information Society |chapter=Privacy in the Metaverse |date=2007 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-0-387-79026-8_7.pdf |journal=International Federation for Information Processing |volume=262 |pages=97 |doi=10.1007/978-0-387-79026-8_7 |isbn=978-1-4419-4629-4 |s2cid=8632227 |via=Springer}}</ref> In a 2007 paper, ''Privacy in the Metaverse'', Leenes distinguished metaverse from a game, arguing that metaverse is a social microcosmos whereby ordinary people develop complex social behaviors and psychological effects unique to the metaverse space.<ref name=":1" /> Unlike the legal practitioners who have viewed metaverse laws as a subset of existing legal frameworks, Leenes left open for readers to interpret possible privacy implications in the metaverse space by discussing government surveillance, metaverse marriage, borderless communication in common spaces, and how metaverse developers like ''Second Life'' company Linden Lab do not sufficiently address privacy concerns.
=== Copyright Law === The purpose of copyright law is to protect the original work of creators, artists, and writers. When discussing the Metaverse, the statute includes user-generated digital content such as avatars, virtual real estate, and artwork. Platforms such as The Sandbox enable users to construct, develop, and own 'LANDS' virtual regions. People spend tens of thousands of dollars to acquire a piece of Metaverse real estate. With the popularity of digital assets, copyright law assumes greater significance in the Metaverse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Palmer |first=Bristows LLP-Jake |date=2022-10-06 |title=Copyright in the metaverse |url=https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=9232e4d0-596b-4de3-bf5c-15c127d59427 |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=Lexology |language=en}}</ref>
=== Intellectual Property Laws === The IP law protects the creators' rights to their inventions, trademarks, and other works. With the rise in popularity of Non-Fungible Tokens, an unavoidable component of the Metaverse space, intellectual property law has become crucial for effective governance. Soon, technology companies will compete to create more sophisticated AR and VR tools, such as high-tech eyewear, headsets, etc., which will open up new industry opportunities for Intellectual Property Rights, such as new software and device patents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Intellectual Property in the Metaverse. Episode IV: Copyright |url=https://intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/intellectual-property-metaverse-episode-iv-copyright-2022-06-30_en |access-date=2023-01-27 |website=intellectual-property-helpdesk.ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>
=== Tort Law === Tort law governs civil wrongs, including both property and personal damages. In Metaverse, the law regulates any harmful activity perpetrated by users against other participants. This can include psychological distress, physical assaults, and property damage. For instance, if one person physically injures another within the Metaverse ecosystem, the injured party can file a lawsuit against the perpetrator. The law will then require the accused to pay for the injuries, medical expenses, and other damages resulting from the act.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mack |first=Olga V. |date=2022-04-18 |title=What Laws Apply In Metaverse? - Above the LawAbove the Law |url=https://abovethelaw.com/2022/04/what-laws-apply-in-metaverse/ |access-date=2023-01-27 |language=en-US}}</ref>
There are other laws like defamation & overall regulation scenario of Blockchain & NFT, which depend on the type of transactions & activities done on a Metaverse platform. With time new laws and regulations may shape the future of the metaverse & laws around it.
== Terminology in legal firms == === Metaverse law firms === Some legal practitioners have used the terminology, <nowiki>''metaverse law,'' to represent their law firm'</nowiki>s name. In other contexts, a real estate and business law firm claimed to be the first "metaverse law firm" in the metaverse.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-26 |title=Falcon Rappaport & Berkman PLLC Launches First-of-its-Kind Metaverse Law Firm |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/falcon-rappaport--berkman-pllc-launches-first-of-its-kind-metaverse-law-firm-301363971.html |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=PRNewswire |publisher=Falcon Rappaport & Berkman |language=en}}</ref> Similarly, a personal injury law firm was publicized for opening a metaverse law firm.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lyle |first=Moran |date=2021-12-20 |title=Why this personal injury firm set up shop in the metaverse |url=https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/why-a-personal-injury-firm-has-set-up-shop-in-the-metaverse |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=American Bar Association Journal}}</ref> For these legal practitioners, the usage of the phrase, metaverse law, indicates the virtual location of a law firm in the metaverse, as opposed to recognizing metaverse law as a subclass of existing legal frameworks or a specialized legal field.
=== Trademark dispute === Law firms using the ''metaverse law'' as their business name or description have led to a trademark dispute between at least two law firms. In ''Falcon'' ''Rappaport & Berkman PLLC v. Metaverse Law Corporation'', [https://frblaw.com Falcon] filed a trademark claim against Metaverse Law in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, objecting that the Metaverse Law firm should not have a monopoly over the phrase "metaverse law."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jaeger |first=Max |date=2021-09-22 |title=California Firm Can't Claim 'Metaverse Law' TM, Rival Says |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1424350/calif-firm-can-t-claim-metaverse-law-tm-rival-says |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Law360 |publisher=LexisNexis}}</ref> The United States Patent and Trademark Office's trademark registry shows that "METAVERSE LAW" is a registered trademark for Metaverse Law Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS) |url=https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:49novg.2.1 |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=United States Patent and Trademark Office}}</ref> The recent dispute has been settled by the parties. The parties agreed that the term "METAVERSE LAW" remains Metaverse Law's trademark and Metaverse Law maintains the right to prosecute any non-descriptive infringement of the mark's use, but descriptive uses of the term are permitted.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Law |first=Metaverse |date=2022-07-26 |title=Press Release - Metaverse Law |url=https://www.metaverselaw.com/press-release-metaverse-law/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Metaverse Law |language=en-US}}</ref> Metaverse Law Corporation is a proponent of decentralized virtual reality spaces (as opposed to the panopticon of a singular dystopian metaverse) and advises tech companies and law firms alike on consumer privacy, ethics, and good governance inside and outside of their metaverses.
== See also == * {{section link|Metaverse|Criticism and concerns}} * Ethics of artificial intelligence * Virtual crime
== References == {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Metaverse Law}} Law Category:Internet law Category:Video game law Category:Virtual reality