Legal regulation of virtual reality projects
- General issues of legal regulation of virtual reality projects
- What laws protect the rights of owners of immersion technologies in the Russian Federation?
- Patent law for the protection of VR projects
- Copyright
Legal regulation of virtual reality projects
One of the latest advances in the development of digital technologies has become virtual reality (VR) projects. They belong to the so-called immersion technologies. This category also includes augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) projects. Common to all of the above technologies is that they combine elements of the real and virtual world. The prospects for the development of immersion technology are very broad. It's not just about the computer games and entertainment industry. Currently, developments based on virtual reality are used in medicine, education, trade, tourism, and the military-industrial complex.
Like other assets, AR / VR are becoming objects of various kinds of relationships, which necessitates clear legal regulation. The existing legislation does not always have the necessary mechanisms and tools to resolve legal issues related to the use of a virtual environment.
A4 Law Firm specialists emphasize that virtual and augmented reality are objects of intellectual rights, since these projects are the result of intellectual and creative activity. Protection of intellectual property rights is a key task of legal regulation of AR / VR projects. Another important point is the development of international cooperation in the use of developments based on virtual reality. This means that there is a need to develop laws common to all participating countries.
What laws protect the rights of owners of immersion technologies in the Russian Federation?
Technologies of virtual and augmented reality belong to the category of so-called "end-to-end" digital technologies. To date, a fairly serious regulatory framework has been created in Russia for the legal protection and regulation of the development and use of virtual environment objects.
In May 2019, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution N549. It regulates the procedure for state support of companies involved in the development of "end-to-end" information technologies.
This concept is also disclosed in paragraph 2 of Article 2 of Federal Law N149 "On Information, Information Technology and Information Protection". According to current regulations, information technologies are processes, methods and methods of collecting, processing and storing data, and their dissemination.
A set of technical means is used to create and apply digital technologies. In combination, they form an information system, which is a product of intellectual activity. The information system is also called a unified technology. This concept is used in paragraph 1 of Article 1542 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. The unified technology, according to the current regulatory requirements, is the result of intellectual, technical and scientific activities. Thanks to this article, the person who organized the creation of a unified technology receives the right to use the results of intellectual activity as part of information technology. In this context, it acquires the status of a complex object.
Patent law for protecting VR projects
Patenting is an effective way to protect new inventions. Companies that create virtual reality projects can apply for a patent for their inventions. We are talking about devices for immersion in virtual space. The number of manufacturers of these products is increasing every year.
In 2016, the Global Virtual Reality Association was launched, with Samsung, Oculus, Google and a number of other companies becoming members. They have taken on the mission of developing and implementing VR technologies all over the world. The work of this organization covers all issues related to the use of "end-to-end" technologies. This also applies to the development of a unified approach to legal regulation.
Copyright
The use of VR and AR is impossible without specialized software and databases. These two elements of the information system are closely related and cannot function separately. The software is subject to intellectual property. The exclusive rights to it belong to the developer - an individual or a company.
This paragraph has its own nuances. For example, many developers created software while working for one company, and then moved on to another and continued their activities. This can be considered as the disclosure of trade secrets, because the specialist creates new developments based on the previous results.
This has already become the basis for high-profile litigation between companies producing virtual reality devices.
Each case is different. To avoid negative legal consequences, participants in VR projects should enlist the support of experienced lawyers. Contact A4 Law Firm, which will help you understand the situation and protect your rights
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