Web 4.0 and metaverse
Law in virtual worlds and the World Wide Web of the future
What are Web 4.0 and the metaverse?
Web 4.0 and the metaverse can basically be described as the immersive successors to today’s internet predominantly based on text and images. Specifically, the metaverse refers to a digital or virtual space created by the interaction of virtual (VR), augmented (AR), extended (XR) and physical realities, yielding the characteristic feature of immersion – a seamless merging of the physical and digital worlds. Within this space, users can conduct business, make connections, or be entertained.
Training and onboarding
- Training and onboarding activities are more successful when VR technologies are integrated. In a PwC study on the use of VR,
- VR participants completed their training four times faster than participants in analogue training,
- VR participants had 275% more confidence in applying their newly acquired skills,
- VR participants showed 3.75 times greater emotional connection to the content they learned.
Shopping and virtual offerings
In the shopping experience of the future, clothing, shoes, and accessories will no longer be viewed on models and mannequins alone. Purchase decisions can instead be made based on content projected virtually, for example by displaying a pair of shoes on the prospective customer’s own feet via a screen.
A practical touch: when a customer buys a real pair of shoes, the customer’s avatars and digital twins receive a virtual pair of the same shoes automatically.
New forms of collaboration
The advantages of virtual collaboration have become particularly evident in recent years through the increased use of various video conferencing systems. Even so, face-to-face human contact remains irreplaceable. VR can offer a compromise by creating an impression of physical presence and effectively eliminating geographical boundaries.
Building information modeling (BIM)
BIM modernises the planning and management of buildings and other structures. In BIM, relevant building data is captured and reproduced virtually, so that all information can be reviewed and clearly displayed using a “digital representation”. For example, all the lines and conduits installed in a building can be displayed for viewing through a smartphone camera.
Key features at a glance
The metaverse is often treated together with the broader term “Web 4.0,” in which the following are defining features:
- Virtual worlds (VR) and XR technologies
- Decentralised open platforms
- AI
- The Internet of Things
- Trustworthy blockchain transactions
In the future metaverse, these components would be fully integrated and interoperable, communicating seamlessly with one another and offering a high degree of immersion.
Impacts and need for action
The significance and impacts of Web 4.0 and the metaverse will be diverse and multifaceted depending on the particular sphere of life or industry involved.
- New customs and unwritten rules of conduct will be developed over time by individual stakeholder groups and communities and may be adopted more broadly.
- “Digital natives” will be replaced by “virtual natives.”
- VR/AR will be integrated into the education system.
- The intensity and extent of interactions in the metaverse could affect users’ mental and emotional health (e.g. risk of addiction).
- Older people may be excluded from many social interactions if they struggle to adopt and accept virtual media, potentially leading to social inequality.
- Many principles of ethical conduct will need to be reinterpreted or newly developed in the metaverse.
- Companies and organisations will need to redefine their existing services and goods in light of virtual worlds.
- Companies can increase the accessibility of their own services or goods for many customers by creating virtual branches or locations.
- As vast amounts of data are accumulated and processed in the metaverse, it will offer an attractive venue for a wide variety of marketing initiatives that can be individually tailored and rapidly adapted.
- Internal workflows and processes can also be adapted and expanded in many ways.
- Booking appointments online and submitting applications in digital format are just the beginning of what citizens will come to expect from government services.
- Citizens may in future meet with authorities in “virtual administrative offices”, with civil servant avatars supported by AI helping applicants to complete benefit applications fully and correctly.
This raises the question of how far the metaverse will need to be regulated by legal provisions, how these regulations should look in detail, and whom they should protect.
Vulnerable groups
Which individuals and groups require special protection in the metaverse, and how can this be ensured?
Data protection
How will data protection and privacy be respected in the metaverse? How can complex data processing be presented in a transparent and easily understood way?
Virtual assets
Who “owns” virtual assets and data in the metaverse? How can it be secured and transferred?
Cybercrime
Are we sufficiently protected against new forms of criminal activity in the metaverse? Who is actually responsible for protecting users in the metaverse?
Inclusion and sustainability
How can we ensure that the metaverse is designed to be inclusive, sustainable and environmentally friendly?
Companies and organisations that aspire to enter and thrive in Web 4.0 and the metaverse should address the legal and strategic challenges at an early stage.
Our services
Technological developments and restructuring, along with the concomitant legal challenges, will be complex. You will need a sound legal footing and legal expertise to manage the various areas of responsibility. We therefore provide comprehensive advice on issues arising from technological developments related to Web 4.0 and the metaverse. In particular, our legal advisory services include:
Concept development
- Designing, and advising on, use cases for your company or organisation in the context of immersive technologies and Web 4.0
Law of digital services and the data economy
- Compliance with EU regulations, including the Digital Services Act and the Data Act
- Drafting licencing and terms of use for metaverse platforms
Data protection
- Support in meeting all statutory data protection requirements and recognised standards
- Advice on the data protection-compliant design and development of business models
Information technology law
- Support in drafting and reviewing all necessary IT contracts
- Support in contract negotiations
Intellectual property
- Advice on how to protect intellectual property effectively in virtual worlds
AI law
- Supporting providers, operators, and users of artificial intelligence in understanding and precisely implementing applicable legal requirements
Security and crypto (with the PwC network)
- Support in the field of cybersecurity, e.g. implementation and review of measures to maintain information security
- Advice on matters relating to crypto tokens and blockchain transactions
