Transforming Legal Rules into Online Virtual World Rules: A Case Study in

the VirtualLife Platform

Vytautas ČYRAS

Vilnius University, Lithuania

vytautas.cyras@mif.vu.lt

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Virtual Worlds • Serious, e.g. “Second Life”,

“Active Worlds Educational Universe”

• Not games

– e.g. “World of Warcraft”

• I am neither a proponent nor opponent of them

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– Consider negative factors such as addiction

• Research & software development project

– FP7 ICT VirtualLife project, 3 years from 01.01.2008 – Title “Secure, Trusted and Legally Ruled Collaboration Environment in

Virtual Life”. Acronym “VirtualLife” – Goal: software platform – peer-to-peer architecture – Learning support as a use scenario, e.g. “University Virtual Campus”

About FP7 VirtualLife project

• Objective – to create a safe, democratic and legally ruled 3D

collaboration environment

• Novelties – issues of security and trust

– in-world legal framework

– a “Supreme Constitution”, a “Virtual Nation Constitution”, a set of contracts

• peer-to-peer network communication architecture

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Legal framework of VirtualLife

Three tiers: 1. A “Supreme Constitution”

– Code of Conduct • values that the user has to respect, e.g. avatars integrity, sanctity of

property, reputation, etc.

– A part of EULA (End User License Agreement)

2. A “Virtual Nation Constitution” – authentication procedure to become a member of Nation – copyright law of Nation, e.g. “CopyLeft” or “CopyRight”

3. A set of different sample contracts – sales contract – teacher employment contract – student contract

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Learning needs of “digital natives”

• “Pro” and “contra” arguments for virtual worlds • Students of today

– are active Web 2.0 participants – easy create relationships in social networks – like impressing peers with curious facts – enjoy participating in online group activities – function in “multitasking mode” – a new phenomenon: they share the knowledge with

unknown people – do not like memorizing information for later use

• but they are effective in searching

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Sample scenarios Web 2.0 • information as a content • asynchronous communication “University Virtual Campus” • interaction as a content • synchronous communication

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Motivation of learning

• “Pro” virtual worlds Learning materials

– in Web 2.0 are static, searchable in 2D for learner’s queries

– In 3D virtual worlds interactive objects

• “Contra” virtual worlds – values?

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– mono-sensorial, perceived through computer’s display – multi-sensorial learning in the real world

• human’s brain and spinal brain function concurrently • all senses: seeing, hearing, touching, etc. • “learning by doing” when accomplishing real-world tasks

Learning environment

Constantly gratifying, encouraging social interaction

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From legal rules – to virtual world rules – to rules in software

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This translation complies with: – Lawrence Lessig’s conception “Code is law” – Raph Koster’s “Declaration of the Rights of Avatars”

‘Keep off the grass’

‘The subject – avatar – is forbidden the action – walking on the grass’

A computer program (script, table). Implemented by triggers which control the avatar

Natural intelligence – a team of • legal expert • virtual world developer

Natural intelligence – a programmer

Translation

Translation

Examples of rules

1. An avatar is forbidden to touch objects not owned by him or a certain group.

2. An avatar not belonging to a given group is forbidden to a given area of the zone.

3. An avatar is forbidden to create more than a given number of objects during a given time interval.

4. An avatar is forbidden to use a given dictionary of words (slang) while chatting with other avatars.

5. An avatar of age is forbidden to chat with avatars under age.

6. An avatar is forbidden to execute authorized scripts in a certain area.

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The editor of rules

• A law is composed of Norms, see (Vázquez-Salceda et al. 2008). • Norm is composed by:

(1) NORM_CONDITION, (2) VIOLATION_CONDITION, (3) DETECTION_MECHANISM, (4) SANCTION (5) REPAIR.

• NORM_CONDITION is expressed by: – TYPE {Obliged, Permitted, Forbidden} – SUBJECT {Avatar, Zone, Nation} – ACTION {ENTER, LEAVE, CREATE, MODIFY, MOVE, CREATE, TRADE, SELL,

BUY, CHAT, etc.} – COMPLEMENT {AREA, AVATAR, OBJECT, etc.} – IF {logical_expresssion_using_subjects_properties}

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Norm example

(1) Norm condition:

FORBIDDEN Student_Avatar

ENTER Library IF Student_Avatar.age < 18

(2) Violation condition:

NOT over_age(Student_Avatar) AND

admit(Student_Avatar, Library)

(3) Detection mechanism:

call over_age(Student_Avatar)

when Student_Avatar enters Library

(4) Sanction:

decrease_reputation(Student_Avatar); notify avatar

(5) Repair: log and roll back if applicable

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Facing the problems of translation • Abstractness of norms. Legal rules are formulated abstractly.

• Open texture. Hart’s example of “Vehicles are forbidden in the park”.

• Legal interpretation methods. The meaning of a legal text cannot be extracted from the sole text. – grammatical interpretation

– systemic interpretation

– teleological interpretation

• Legal teleology. The purpose of a legal rule usually can be achieved by a variety of actions.

• Heuristics. The ability to translate abstract high level concepts and invent low level ones.

• Consciousness of the society. Law enforcement is a complex social phenomenon.

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Stage

Avatar

Avatar

Avatar Actions

F. Lachmayer’s spatialization

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Virtual space. Frame: constitutive. ~ Theatre

Stage

Avatar

Avatar

Avatar Actions

F. Lachmayer’s spatialization

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Virtual space. Frame: constitutive. ~ Theatre

Rules-1. Technical.

Factual limitations, e.g. to fence the grass.

Regimes, paradigms, ethics, professional morality

Stage

Avatar

Avatar

Avatar Actions

F. Lachmayer’s spatialization

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Virtual space. Frame: constitutive. ~ Theatre

Rules-1. Technical.

Factual limitations, e.g. to fence the grass.

Rules-2. Legal. Obligations, permissions, prohibitions, veto. – Primary rules.

Regimes, paradigms, ethics, professional morality

Sanction is a secondary rule

Office. Virtual procedures. E.g. online dispute resolution

Stage

Avatar

Avatar

Avatar Actions

F. Lachmayer’s spatialization

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Virtual space. Frame: constitutive. ~ Theatre

Rules-1. Technical.

Factual limitations, e.g. to fence the grass.

Rules-2. Legal. Obligations, permissions, prohibitions, veto. – Primary rules.

Rules-3. Reputation.

Economic, social, civic.

Rules-n. Energy.

…

Regimes, paradigms, ethics, professional morality

Sanction is a secondary rule

Office. Virtual procedures. E.g. online dispute resolution

Principles of construction (1)

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Rules 1. Technical

Rules 2. Legal

Rules 3. Reputation

Rules n. Energy …

Avatar Avatar

Avatar

Core ontology

Special ontology 1

Special ontology 2

Special ontology 3

Special ontology n

Principles of construction (2)

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Rules 1. Technical

Rules 2. Legal

Rules 3. Reputation

Rules n. Energy …

Avatar Avatar

Avatar

Core ontology

Special ontology 1

Special ontology 2

Special ontology 3

Special ontology n

Different modes of effectiveness (Wirkung) or relevance

Barrier. Strict

Occasional. Probability p%

Step-by-step.

“Entering without STOP is REFUSED”

“Policeman fines for stepping the grass”.

This happens with p% probability – if you do

not succeed.

“Reputation/energy is decreased by 10

points”

Example of a technical rule

• E-law project, Austria

if document.XML_format = OK

then put_on_legislative_workflow ( document )

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Legislative workflow in Austria

“Running sushi” transport belt

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Room Door is

closed

• if door = closed then factual_hindrance • if no XXXX_pin_code_to_cash_machine then no access_to_money • “Natural” rules ≠ Natural law (Naturrecht)

– e.g. gravitation force • Natural image or essence of man →??? behavior

Terminology: “factual” and “technical” rules ?

Technical rules Natural rules

Factual rules

3 legal stages

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1. Legislative stage

Community

Produce

3. Judicial stage

2. Stage of the game – everyday life

% Judgement

Negotiations, storytelling (see H. Prakken)

Rules

2 legislative substages

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2. Stage of the game

People think in roles, not rules

Stage of access – “enter airport” Having meals

Passenger Citizen, ticket

2 legislative substages

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2. Stage of the game

People think in roles, not rules

1a. Legislative rules General rules

1b. Contract rules Individual rules Buyer Seller e.g.

inter partes

Stage of access – “enter airport” Having meals

Passenger Citizen, ticket

Technical rules Causation is formalized with the modus ponens rule.

Example. no_code & (no_code → no_money) no_money

(1) Rule(P→Q)

(2) Fact(P)

Conclusion. Fact(Q)

Modus ponens rule in mathematical logic:

Sequent notation:

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P→Q, P |– Q P→Q, P ----------- Q P→Q & P Q

If P, then Q. P. Therefore Q.

In some domains the following interpretation of the technical rule is aimed: (1) Rule(P→Q) (2) Fact(¬P) Conclusion. Fact(¬Q)

Obtained inference Fact(¬P) Fact(¬Q) and rule (2) imply equivalence of P and Q, formally, P Q. Denoted also P~Q. This is good for cash machine (ATM). But this may be unacceptable for other technical domains, see rule-based knowledge representation.

Lachmayer’s notation: Rule form:

Legal rules (1) Permission(P iff Q) Norm(¬P → ¬Q)

Example. green if_and_only_if cross ( red → do_not_cross )

(2) Fact(¬P) – red is on

(3) Fact(Q) – you cross the street, nevertheless

Interpretation. You are simply a bad guy. Nobody can stop you crossing.

Notes:

• Here P denotes “green”, Q denotes “cross”, ¬P denotes “red”.

• With probability p% a punishment procedure is exercised. This is done, for example, by a policeman.

• P iff Q is also denoted P Q

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Reputation/energy rules (1) Norm(¬A)

(2) Fact(A)

Conclusion. Energy reduction by 10%

Formalization:

Energy is reduced to A1, then A2 and so on to An. And at last ¬A.

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A

A1

A2

An

¬A

Norm(¬A), A ------------------- A := 0.9*A

Thank you

• Acknowledgements: The whole VirtualLife consortium, 9 partner organisations

• http://www.ict-virtuallife.eu

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