Eric Sophir and Matthew Horton Author Article on IP Risks in the Metaverse

Foley & Lardner LLP Partner Eric Sophir and Senior Counsel Matthew Horton wrote the article, “Intellectual Property Risks in the Metaverse: Protection, Jurisdiction and Enforcement,” for IPWatchdog discussing how brand owners should consider protecting virtual goods and services as well as those in the physical world. An excerpt is below:

The metaverse is commonly known as “a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet.” The metaverse may eventually provide a three-dimensional or virtual world for users to shop, play games, travel, learn, socialize, work, compete, or otherwise experience life in a virtual environment. Users may eventually visit the metaverse for an activity or even choose to live much of their life in this virtual world.

A user’s experience within the metaverse will mimic the physical world, though not every object in the metaverse represents an object in the physical world. A virtual shopping experience in the metaverse may resemble a real-world version of a shopping mall, perhaps personalized to the user. A virtual workspace, such as an office or conference room, may facilitate remote work and continue to enhance virtual meetings. Gaming is expected to continue to evolve by becoming more realistic and more adaptive in real-time.

Read the full article here.