Welcome to the Symposium Registration Form

We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming online symposium. This virtual event will provide an opportunity for participants to engage in discussions, hear from expert speakers. We hope you will join us for this exciting event.

Event Details:

• Date and Time: Friday, 27 September 2024, 13:00 – 17:00 (JST)
                               (UTC: Friday, 27 September 2024, 04:00 – 08:00)
• Participation Mode: Online only (via Zoom)
• Registration Deadline:  Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 17:00 (JST)
                               (UTC: Friday, 27 September 2024, 04:00 – 08:00)
  
• A link to join the event will be sent to your registered email after the registration deadline.

Background and Programs:

As the digital economy develops, it has been suggested that people will spend more and more time in the virtual world. Immersive technology will enable people to experience the virtual world just as they experience the real world. Such developments may require reconsidering the fundamental concepts of the private law, namely “persons” and “things”. For example, one may ponder if an avatar in the metaverse is a property, a Person, an independent legal person or none of the foregoing but something altogether new. One might also question when and to what extent a virtual “thing” should be legally recognised as property, and if so, in what sense? Some of these questions have already been considered in a global forum, such as Unidroit in its work on “digital assets and private law.” However, many issues remain to be discussed, and the approach could differ depending on the underlying structure of each jurisdiction’s legal system.

*All times below are in JST.  

• Opening remark (13:00 – 13:05)
• Keynote Speech: Forward looking from the watchtower: some reflections on the evolution of private law (13:05 - 13:30)
        Prof. Ignacio TIRADO, Secretary-General, UNIDROIT
    General moderator
        Prof. Megumi HARA, Professor at Chuo University
• Part I “Things” in Metaverse  (13:30-15:00 (20 minutes each))
      Moderator: Prof. Megumi HARA
  - Property Rights in a Metaverse:  Roles for UNIDROIT Principles on Digital Assets and Private Law
        Prof. Charles W. MOONEY JR., Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Professor of Law Emeritus at University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
  - Metaphors in the Metaverse
        Prof. Kelvin LOW, Professor at Hong Kong University
  - Three Questions for Property in the Metaverse
        Mr. Timothy CHAN, Sheridan Fellow at National University of Singapore
• Part II  “Person” in Metaverse   (15:20-16:50(20 minutes each))
      Moderator: Prof. Souichirou KOZUKA, Professor at Gakushuin University
  - Types of Relationships Avatars Have with their Digital Assets in the Metaverse: A Comparative Analysis
        Mr. Hamza HAMEED, Senior Manager, Space & Connectivity
  - Legal Challenges of AI-Generated Works in the Digital Age
        Prof. Meiling HUANG, Professor of Law at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law
  - Contracts between Avatars
        Prof. Eliza MIK, Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  
• Conclusions (16:50-17:00)
        Prof. Souichirou KOZUKA

If you need help, please contact us: theprivatelaw2050@shojihomu.co.jp (Symposium Secretariat).

Thank you for your interest, and we look forward to your participation!

* The symposium is supported by JST Moonshot R&D Grant Number JPMJMS2215.
** Coffee is offered by courtesy of 小塚ビジネス法研究所 Kozuka’s TASK.