Research Article
Overview of the Legal Issues in Virtual Worlds
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-642-12630-7_22, author={Gerald Spindler and Katharina Anton and Jan Wehage}, title={Overview of the Legal Issues in Virtual Worlds}, proceedings={User Centric Media. First International Conference, UCMedia 2009, Venice, Italy, December 9-11, 2009, Revised Selected Papers}, proceedings_a={UCMEDIA}, year={2012}, month={10}, keywords={Virtual worlds’ legal issues virtual world property user evaluation systems data protection copyright trademarks advertising liability online dispute resolution (ODR)}, doi={10.1007/978-3-642-12630-7_22} }- Gerald Spindler
Katharina Anton
Jan Wehage
Year: 2012
Overview of the Legal Issues in Virtual Worlds
UCMEDIA
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-12630-7_22
Abstract
The following paper contains a summary and brief assessment of the legal problems that may arise in virtual worlds. The results presented herein were gained during the legal research in order to establish a virtual world platform named VirtualLife. Virtual Life is an FP7 ICT research project conveyed by the EU. The project aims to provide an immersive and secure environment, combining a high quality 3D virtual experience with the trustiness of a secure communication infrastructure based on a peer-to-peer architecture. The paper cannot provide a comprehensive solution to all problems, but has to be seen as a basic overview of the legal aspects of virtual worlds. The ultimate answer to any legal problem will hinge on the exact scenario and therefore be subject to the law of the individually competent legal system and the deciding court.
