The proliferation of virtual and augmented reality technologies into society raise significant questions for judges, legal institutions, and policy makers. For example, when should activities that occur in virtual worlds, or virtual images that are projected into real space (that is, augmented reality), count as protected First Amendment 'speech'? When should they instead count as a nuisance or trespass? Under what circumstances would the copying of virtual images infringe intellectual property laws, or the output of intelligent virtual avatars be patentable inventions or works of authorship eligible for copyright? And when should a person (or computer) face legal consequences for allegedly harmful virtual acts? The Research Handbook on the Law of Virtual and Augmented Reality addresses these questions and others, drawing upon free speech doctrine, criminal law, the law of data protection and privacy, and of jurisdiction, as well as upon potential legal rights for increasingly intelligent virtual avatars in VR worlds. The Handbook offers a comprehensive look at challenges to various legal doctrines raised by the emergence - and increasing use of - virtual and augmented reality worlds, and at how existing law in the U.S., Europe, and other jurisdictions might apply to these emerging technologies, or evolve to address them. It also considers what legal questions about virtual and augmented reality are likely to be important, not just for judges and legal scholars, but also for the established businesses and start-ups that wish to make use of, and help shape, these important new technologies. This comprehensive Research Handbook will be an invaluable reference to those looking to keep pace with the dynamic field of virtual and augmented reality, including students and researchers studying intellectual property law as well as legal practitioners, computer scientists, engineers, game designers, and business owners.
Author(s): Woodrow Barfield, Marc Jonathan Blitz
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Year: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 708
Tags: Law, Virtual And Augmented Reality
Front Matter
......Page 2
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
List of figures......Page 8
List of contributors......Page 9
Preface......Page 15
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO THE LAW OF VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY......Page 20
1 The law of virtual reality and increasingly smart virtual avatars......Page 21
2 Starting up in virtual reality: examining virtual reality as a space for innovation......Page 63
3 Virtual rule of law......Page 83
4 Mixed reality: how the laws of virtual worlds govern everyday life......Page 122
PART II: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW......Page 172
5 Virtual copyright......Page 173
6 Trademark law and the right of publicity in augmented reality......Page 211
7 Trade dress in virtual worlds......Page 235
PART III: ISSUES OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND CRIMINAL LAW......Page 260
8 The First Amendment, video games, and virtual reality training......Page 261
9 Virtual reality, haptics, and First Amendment protection for sexual sensation......Page 294
10 Augmented and virtual reality, freedom of expression, and the personalization of public space......Page 323
11 Beyond unauthorized access: laws of virtual reality hacking......Page 359
12 The law and ethics of virtual sexual assault......Page 382
13 Criminal liability for intellectual property offenses of artificially intelligent entities in virtual and augmented reality environments......Page 408
PART IV: APPLYING THE LAW TO DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS OFVIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY......Page 439
14 Advertising legal issues in virtual and augmented reality......Page 440
15 Data privacy legal issues in virtual and augmented reality advertising......Page 490
16 Reordering the chaos of the virtual arena: harmonizing law and framing collective bargaining for avatar actors and digital athletes......Page 532
PART V: CONTRACT, PROPERTY LAW, AND JURISDICTION......Page 586
17 Property rights in virtual and augmented reality: Second Life versus Pokémon Go......Page 587
18 Freedom of contract in augmented reality......Page 623
19 Law and property in virtual worlds......Page 655
20 Legal jurisdiction and the deterritorialization of social life......Page 681
Index......Page 704
