I've been searching through the forums for a mention of the Metaverse Republic and I can't find any, which is strange because I think it is so your sort of subject.
At the SLBA seminar the other night I met Ashcroft Burnham, who is planning to set up a judicial system for
SL. Initially I assumed this was like a mock court, and meant for training up lawyers.
But no... Ashcroft dropped a FAQ and an explanatory document on me, and it seems that theyhave decided to institute Judge Judy for
SL - or even the Metaverse.
Here's an excerpt:
Metaverse Republic FAQ
2.2
1. What is the Metaverse Republic?
The Metaverse Republic is an independent, non-profitmaking organisation that will provide enforceable dispute resolution to SecondLife by means of a judicial system (in other words, courts) and a democratically elected Parliament.
2. Is the Metaverse Republic up and running yet?
No. We are still in the process of designing the constitution and technical systems. It will take quite some time before we are ready to go, since we must be very careful to get things right.
3. How will the Metaverse Republic work?
There will be courts, where anybody will be able to bring a case, and the outcomes will be decided by skilled, professional judges, and possibly also juries. The decisions of the court will ultimately be able to be enforced by the use of a banishment database. Anybody who, for example, fails to observe a court order, can have her or his avatar name(s) placed on the banishment database. Using sophisticated systems currently under design by our Techincal Team, landowners (both of individual parcels and whole estates) will be able to “subscribe” to the banishment database (for free), which will automatically eject/ban from that land all the avatars whose names are on the database.
All subscribers will be entitled to vote in regular elections to the Parliament (as well as the executive and a body called the Public Oversight Panel). The Parliament will, in turn, be able to pass laws binding on the courts. It will also be possible for entire local communities to subscribe en bloc by subscribing all of their land (such as a whole estate), and every citizen of that local community (whether directly a landowner or not) will be entitled to vote.
4. Will the courts only be able to deal with disputes between subscribers, or on subscribing land?
No: the courts will deal with all people who use the virtual worlds in which the Metaverse Republic operates. Creating artificial boundaries would serve only to undermine the effectiveness of the system and create unnecessary confusion.
5. Who are you to be making laws for other people?
Ultimately, we are not: because the democratic Parliament will, subject to some necessary constitutional limits, have the power to pass laws binding on all the courts, we are just setting up a structure within which people can make laws for themselves.
So... waddya think?
Cali
