The Metaverse as an Alternative Legal Space

Digital transformations have led to the emergence of new worlds. The convergence of physical and virtual space that mimics reality has been dubbed the metaverse. The possibility of reproducing reality, including social relations, in another, disembodied world has given rise to many legal puzzles: about (quasi)subjectivity of digital avatars and (quasi)objectability of virtual property, the possibility of applying existing legal norms to relations developing in the metaverse, and the definition of jurisdiction. The paper substantiates that these problems are derived from the lack of theoretical and methodological support for the essence of the metaverse itself. The key properties of the metaverse as an alternative legal space include: incorporeality, potential infinitivity, transhumanism, multisensory and universalism. Through the prism of these characteristics, the article examines approaches to the construction of a regulatory platform and the establishment of limits of state intervention. As the principles of regulating relations related to participation in the metaverse, it is proposed to identify the following: the combination of a supranational and national legal mechanism for regulating relations with intra-platform regulation; the inadmissibility of regulatory redundancy; the exclusivity of state intervention; the inadmissibility of resolving intra-platform disputes in national courts.

1. Бичахчян М. К. Философский анализ правового пространства как понятия и феномена // Экономические и гуманитарные исследования регионов. — 2019. — № 5. — С. 114—117.

2. Даневский В. П. Пособие к изучению истории и системы международного права. — Харьков: Тип. Адольфа Дарре, 1892. — Вып. 2. — 178 с.

3. Красильников М. В. К вопросу о принципах действия советского социалистического уголовного закона в пространстве // Социалистическая законность. — 1938. — № 7. — С. 61—64.

4. Лунц Л. А. Международное частное право: учебник. — М., 1949. — 368 c.

5. Малько А. В. Правовое пространство в современной России: понятие и необходимость укрепления его единства // Правовая культура. — 2023. — № 1 (52). — С. 97—99.

6. Мартенс Ф. Ф. О консулах и консульской юрисдикции на Востоке. — СПб.: Тип. Министерства путей сообщения (А. Бенке), 1873. — VIII. — 599 с.

7. Мартьянова Е. Ю. Проведение судебных заседаний в метавселенной: зарубежный опыт правоприменения // Актуальные проблемы предпринимательского права, гражданского и арбитражного процесса: сборник научных статей (ежегодник). — Пермь, 2023. — С. 108—110.

8. Понтович Э. Э. Философия права. — Кинешма, 1920. — Ч. 1: Общее учение о праве. — 100 с.

9. Предпринимательское право : учебник / под ред. В. Г. Голубцова. —М.: Статут, 2023. — 482 с.

10. Aidonojie P. A., Adebayo A. K., Obieshi E., Owoche A. G., Ogbemudia I. O., Mutawalli M. M. The Prospect, Legal, and Socio-economic Implication of Metaverse Operation in Nigeria // Jurnal Wacana Hukum dan Sains Universitas Merdeka Surabaya. — 2024. — Vol. 19. — No. 4. — P. 17—55.

11. Asyari A. H. Cyberspace as A Common Heritage Of Mankind: Governing Normative Limitations of The Internet by Virtue of International Law // Acta Universitatis Carolinae — Iuridica. — 2023. — Vol. 4. — P. 211—228.

12. Cuellar P. D., Lasso V. A., Salazar B. A. The metaverse: an analysis from a human rights perspective // Revista Jurídica Mario Alario D’Filippo. — 2024. — No. 16 (33). — P. 202—218. — DOI: 10.32997/2256-2796-vol. 16-num.33-2024-4889.

13. Chester Ch. B. Avatars in the metaverse: potential legal issues and remedies. International Cybersecurity Law Review. — 2022. — No. 3 (2). — P. 467—494.

14. Gretchen Y. Internet Jurisdiction and the 21st Century: Zippo, Calder, and the Metaverse // Connecticut Law Review. — 2023. — No. 6. — 29 p.

15. Hennig-Thurau T., Aliman D. N., Herting A. M., Cziehso G. P., Linder M., Kübler R. V. Social interactions in the metaverse: Framework, initial evidence, and research roadmap // Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. — 2023. — No. 51. — P. 889—913.

16. Kostenko O., Furashev V., Zhuravlov D., Dniprov O. Genesis of Legal Regulation Web and the Model of the Electronic Jurisdiction of the Metaverse // Bratislava Law Review. — 2022. — No. 6 (2). — P. 21—36.

17. Lawrence Lessig. The Laws of Cyberspace. 1998 // URL: https://cyber.harvard.edu/works/lessig/laws_cyberspace.pdf.

18. Macedo C. R., Miro D. A., Hart T. The Metaverse: From Science Fiction to Commercial Reality — Protecting Intellectual Property in the Virtual Landscape // NYSBA Bright Ideas. — 2022. — Vol. 31. — No. 1. — P. 13—20.

19. Metaverse Statistics In 2024 (Users & Market Trends) // URL: https://www.demandsage.com/metaverse-statistics/.

20. Nasr M. M., Fakhry N. A. Metaverse and Brand Experience in Fashion Digital Marketing // International Design Journal. — 2023. — Vol. 13. — No. 2. — P. 331—344.

21. Nyimasmukti B., Wijayanti M., Juniarti D. An Essential Elements in Virtual Land Buying Transactions as Digital Asets in Metaverse Based onn Indonesian Positive Law // Ikatan Penulis Mahasiswa Hukum Indonesia Law Journal. — 2022. — No. 3(1). — P. 40—59.

22. Rácz-Antal I. Labour law and Metaverse — can they fit together? // Italian Labour Law e-Journal. — 2023. — No. 1. — Vol. 16. — P. 29—40.

23. Ranchordas S., Vinci V. Regulatory Sandboxes and Innovation-Friendly Regu — Lation: Between Collaboration and Capture // Italian Journal of Public Law. — 2024. — Vol. 16. — No. 1. — P. 107—139.