Research Article
Transforming Legal Rules into Online Virtual World Rules: A Case Study in the VirtualLife Platform
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.1007/978-3-642-12630-7_34, author={Vytautas Čyras}, title={Transforming Legal Rules into Online Virtual World Rules: A Case Study in the VirtualLife Platform}, proceedings={Virtual Worlds: Trust, Security, Rule of Law}, proceedings_a={TRUSTVWS}, year={2012}, month={10}, keywords={Legal rules computer implementation translation legally ruled collaboration Ought to Be inworld reality}, doi={10.1007/978-3-642-12630-7_34} }- Vytautas Čyras
Year: 2012
Transforming Legal Rules into Online Virtual World Rules: A Case Study in the VirtualLife Platform
TRUSTVWS
Springer
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-12630-7_34
Abstract
The paper addresses the implementation of legal rules in online virtual world software. The development is performed within a peer-to-peer virtual world platform in the frame of the FP7 VirtualLife project. The goal of the project is to create a serious, secure and legally ruled collaboration environment. The novelty of the platform is an in-world legal framework, which is real world compliant. The approach “From rules in law to rules in artifact” is followed. The development accords with the conception “Code is law” advocated by Lawrence Lessig. The approach implies the transformation of legal rules (that are formulated in a natural language) into machine-readable format. Such a transformation can be viewed as a kind of translation. Automating the translation requires human expert abilities. This is needed in both the interpretation of legal rules and legal knowledge representation.