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Anti-Social Contracts

9/24/2007 Anti-Social Contracts, with law Professor Joshua Fairfield, explored the limitations of the current state of contract law in virtual worlds. Fairfield specializes in the law of video games, online regulation, virtual world economics.

We were delighted to have Joshua Fairfield speak to us on the uses and limits of contracts in governing interactions in virtual worlds. This event was a must for the many Second Life residents who are interested in creating governance structures (like Metaversed Republic) as well as for people interested in the scope and power of Linden Lab’s Terms of Service.

Additional reading related to social contracts in virtual worlds:

Those who aren’t too familiar with the political, governmental and commercial problems residents face in virtual worlds should read Second Life blogger Gwyneth Llewelyn’s excellent summary of the big controversies.

I also suggest a careful look at Linden Lab’s Terms of Service and Community Standards. Some legalese, sure—but an essential contract to understand in the metaverse.

I enjoyed this interview with Desmond Shang, who talks about how he has governed his independent State of Caledon in Second Life. He also makes some remarks about the Metaverse Republic, which has some ambitious goals about inworld governance.

Finally, take a look at the paper that forms the substance of this talk: Anti-Social Contracts: The Contractual Governance of Online Communities.

Guest Biographies

Joshua Fairfield

An expert in the law and regulation of e-commerce and videogames, Prof. Fairfield’s research and scholarship explores the law and economics of online contracts and the application of standard economic models to virtual environments.

In addition, Prof. Fairfield is one of the nation’s leading voices in the analysis of virtual worlds, such as the popular Second Life. He has briefed intelligence officials on terrorist activity and law enforcement within virtual worlds and has written on strategies for protecting children online. In October 2008, Fairfield organized and hosted a first-of-its-kind symposium at the School of Law exploring the legal and social challenges of virtual worlds built specifically for children, the fastest growing area of virtual environments.

Professor Fairfield is regularly quoted in national and international media on information technology topics including the law of video games, online regulation, and the law and economics of virtual worlds. You can view Professor Fairfield’s research at the Social Science Research Network.

“More info on Prof. Fairfield.”:http://law.wlu.edu/faculty/profiledetail.asp?id=242