The explosion of activity and interest in “the metaverse” is now giving rise to disputes about that realm. Yet paradoxically these disputes have begun to take shape in the courts of our physical world.

Is it overreach to extend long-familiar laws and procedures from our analog courts to activity in this new virtual domain? Or should society feel free to paraphrase the poet Robert Browning and ask of this new metaphorical world, “if the courts’ reach cannot exceed their grasp, then what’s a meta for?” To date, it appears that judges have not hesitated to grasp onto this new realm and address its issues in our familiar courts of the old.

The Metaverse: Can We Define It?