Virtual Worlds - The New Legal Frontier (Audio Only Webcast)

November 8, 2007, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (E.D.T.)

Second Life, World of Warcraft, and MTV's virtual worlds - all examples of a powerfully immersive 3D Internet experience in which participants can act, interact, and transact with one another in profoundly realistic ways that have real world consequences.  With literally millions of active participants from around the globe, virtual worlds are emerging as an important and increasingly valuable venue for social and commercial activity.  They are also raising questions about what laws govern conduct in this new space, who has jurisdiction over behavior there, and which courts have the power to control behavior and resolve disputes that arise in the virtual realm.

Do we really need an entirely new legal regime (e.g., new intellectual property laws) and "in world" courts as some commentators suggest, or are the laws, regulations and legal precedents developed over the past ten years for other Internet venues applicable to this new paradigm as well? 

Like the Internet of the mid-1990s, virtual worlds have begun to attract a variety of business interests, ranging from individual entrepreneurs to multinational corporations with a shared belief in their vast commercial potential.  In addition to specialized business and intellectual property advice, as companies ask their employees to participate in virtual worlds and to even work in virtual worlds, they need thoughtful guidelines to assist their employees in knowing what types of behavior is permitted and expected of them when venturing into the realm of the metaverse.

Designed to be of interest to in-house counsel, private lawyers, academics and government attorneys, this briefing will address:

• Introduction to virtual worlds, virtual world legal issues and virtual world business models
• The protection and infringement of intellectual property, including personal identities and right of publicity, in virtual worlds
• Jurisdiction, venue and choice of law in the virtual world

This Audio Only Webcast is Not Approved for CLE Credit in Iowa.

PLI makes every effort to accredit its Live Webcasts.  Please check the CLE Calculator above for CLE information specific to your state.

PLI's Live Webcasts are approved for MCLE credit (unless otherwise noted in the product description) in the following states/territories:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho*, Illinois, Indiana¹, Iowa*, Kentucky*, Louisiana, Maine*, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire*, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York², Ohio³, Oklahoma, Oregon*, Pennsylvania⁴, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming*.

*PLI will apply for credit upon request.

Arkansas, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island: Audio-only live webcasts are not approved for credit.

¹Indiana: Considered a distance education course. There is a 6 credit limit per year.

² New York: Newly admitted attorneys may not take non-transitional course formats such as on-demand audio or video programs or live webcasts for CLE credit. Newly admitted attorneys not practicing law in the United States, however, may earn 12 transitional credits in non-traditional formats.

³Ohio: To confirm that the live webcast has been approved, please refer to the list of Ohio’s Approved Self Study Activities at http://www.sconet.state.oh.us. Online programs are considered self-study. Ohio attorneys have a 6 credit self-study limit per biennial compliance period. The Ohio CLE Board states that attorneys must have a 100% success rate in clicking on timestamps to receive ANY CLE credit for an online program.

⁴ Pennsylvania: A live webcast may be viewed individually or in a group setting. Credit may be granted to an attorney who views a live webcast individually. There is a 4.0 credit limit per year for this type of viewing. A live webcast viewed in a group setting receives live participatory credit if the program is open to the public and advertised at least 30 days prior to the program. Live webcasts viewed in a group setting that do not advertise at least 30 days prior the program will be considered "in-house", and therefore denied credit.

Running time and CLE credit hours are not necessarily the same. Please be aware that many states do not permit credit for luncheon speakers.

Note that some states limit the number of credit hours attorneys may claim for online CLE activities, and state rules vary with regard to whether online CLE activities qualify for participatory or self-study credits. For more information, refer to your state CLE website or call Customer Service at (800) 260-4PLI (4754) or email: info@pli.edu.

If you have already received credit for attending some or the entire program, please be aware that state administrators do not permit you to accrue additional credit for repeat viewing even if an additional credit certificate is subsequently issued.