In May 2021, we published the Reed Smith Guide to the Metaverse, 29 years after the term was first used in the science fiction novel Snow Crash, five years after Pokémon GO’s virtual world was launched and five months before Facebook changed its name to Meta.

Since then, we have seen the metaverse, web3, NFTs and blockchain come together to work toward decentralized digital spaces to live, work and socialize in open, trustless and permissionless networks. We have seen the value of many cryptocurrencies plummet. We have also seen huge investments in technology in this space. To reflect these changes we have seen over the last year through our work in the metaverse, we have launched the Reed Smith Guide to the Metaverse – 2^nd Edition.

The Reed Smith Guide to the Metaverse – 2^nd Edition explores web3, NFTs, investing in the metaverse, the film and television industry, blockchain and crypto assets, the new and unique applications in the aviation sector and insurance issues. The guide also contains a comprehensive glossary of terms.

A multidisciplinary team of lawyers at Reed Smith have compiled this simple, user-friendly guide to the unique legal issues that the rise of the metaverse will create.