Avatars form an essential building block of the Metaverse. When users enter the Metaverse, they usually need a digital representation to act in the virtual environment. Avatars satisfy that need and allow users to express themselves, to communicate and interact with others. In virtual game worlds such as Second Life or World or Warcraft– usually depicted as the first steps towards the emerging Metaverse – typical players devote hundreds of hours and a substantial amount of money to develop their avatar. Yet, how does the law protect the digital identities of avatars? What happens if an avatar gets insulted, harassed or copied by other users (or their avatars)? What happens if the Metaverse platform provider restricts or even completely blocks the avatar’s means to communicate and operate in the online world?

Martin EBERS (President of the Robotics & AI Law Society (RAILS) and Professor of IT Law, University of Tartu) will present the preliminary conclusions of a paper he is writing on the topic.

He will receive comments from discussants Cristina PONCIBÒ (Professor of Comparative Private Law, University of Turin), Julija KALPOKIENÉ (Practising Lawyer, Junior Researcher at Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania) and Paul DE HERT (Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussels)

The webinar will be moderated by Paul POLANSKI (Professor at Kozminski University, Warsaw).