The Summer Academy organized between July 3-8 in Thessaloniki, Greece, provided the opportunity for Boglárka Kővágó, Csenge Kucsera and Konrád Barát from the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, International and Regional Studies Institute via the financial support the Hungarian Ministry of Justice provided (IX-SZ/ID/513/2/2022), to attend lectures and events on the topic: “The Metaverse: Ethical, Economic, and Legal Challenges”.

The primary aim of the course was to get participants acquainted with the relatively unknown concept of the Metaverse. Our students attended lectures and seminars on topics surrounding this concept as well as other related areas. The objective was to inform attendees of the ethical and legal challenges that legislators face when discussing the Metaverse.

After providing a comprehensive understanding of what the Metaverse is, delineating it from other different concepts known within the digital world, such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) or Collaborative Virtual Environments, the lectures continued with discussing the intricacies surrounding the issue.

Some of the lectures focused on getting attendees acquainted with protection of personal data and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In connection with these topics, the students were familiarized with various problems the Metaverse poses to legislators concerning data protection. This provided a great opportunity to discuss several data protection principles and how the Metaverse might impact them. An interactive task allowed the students to conduct a balancing test between the legal interests of the data controller and the rights and freedoms of individuals based on the principle of proportionality

The venue provided the opportunity for the attendees to experience the newest technologies first hand and try on VR glasses in order to get a glimpse of virtual reality. Boglárka Kővágó accounted for an unparalleled experience which is similar to that of reality, however, not yet entirely identical. Moreover, the students were able to get a deeper understanding of the technical difficulties that the Metaverse and its development poses to technology.

What is more, our students were introduced to a specific topic within the Metaverse that has also gained widespread attention in recent years, the NFTs (non-fungible tokens). In connection with this, the lectures delved deeper into intellectual property rights, patents and the legal framework surrounding them. The European Union Intellectual Property Office and its “Metaverse Food” patent decision was also brought to the attention of the attendees.

Lastly, the students were introduced to cybersecurity as well as to cybercrime issues relating to the digital world and the Metaverse. They were familiarized with how the new digital sphere warrants the redefinition of cyberspace, as well as with the differences between concepts such as the clear web, deep web and the dark web.

Outside the confines of the lectures our students were able to experience the amazing and historic city of Thessaloniki and its archaeological museum.

Konrád Barát found the program to be especially enlightening, and recalled that its international setting was especially appealing to him. Because of this he, as well as Boglárka Kővágó and Csenge Kucsera were able to get an understanding of the Metaverse and its surrounding issues and topics from multiple perspectives.