Sophie will present in a debate on “The Metaverse ‒ Will arbitration be the arena of the Web 3.0 conflict? A dispute resolution minefield coming from the future.”

The advent of the metaverse, an always-online, persistent, spatial “second” world, represents a fundamental shift in our notion of digital frameworks and presence. From a legal standpoint, our immersion in this entirely digital world is posed to challenge a number of legal concepts that have arisen out of our material world, including the fundamental concept of “ownership,” of “territoriality,” or of “enforcement.” Important questions regarding the resolution of disputes in the metaverse are going to demand attention from users of the metaverse, lawyers, and, potentially, lawmakers as the world transitions into virtual environments. This panel will demystify the metaverse, explore some key legal challenges arising from it (e.g., ownership in the metaverse, regulating the metaverse, and territoriality in the metaverse), and focus on what arbitration can bring to the table.