Presence, an MIT Press Journal on teleoperation and virtual environments, invites papers for a special issue on Law as Applied to Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed-Reality Environments. The submission deadline is Sept. 1, 2016.
Advancements in virtual reality are not only technology driven, but actions within virtual environments implicate numerous issues in policy and law. For example, are virtual images copyrightable? Is the speech produced by a virtual avatar afforded rights under the U.S. and other Constitutions? How does criminal law relate to actions performed within virtual environments, or contract law apply to the lease and sale of virtual objects? These and other questions form the theme for this special issue. Legal scholars and practitioners from the U.S. and other jurisdictions are encouraged to submit.
Topics of interest for the special issue include:
- Free speech and other fundamental rights within virtual environment
- The law of cybersecurity within virtual and mixed environments
- A review of case law related to virtual and mixed environments
- Trademark and copyright law for virtual images and virtual environments
- The integration of real law in virtual environments
- Augmented reality and law (e.g., virtual images in advertising)
- Virtual equality and human rights in virtual environments
- Patent issues with virtual reality technology
- Property crimes in virtual environments
- Virtual reality goes to court, rules of evidence, etc.
- The law of VR and mixed reality from the U.S and other jurisdictions is especially sought.
