Law and Politics of Virtual Worlds: How NFTs and Metaverse are Reshaping Legal Systems

This book offers a timely and in-depth analysis of how Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and metaverse technologies are reshaping key legal concepts and regulatory frameworks in the digital age.

As blockchain-based assets and immersive virtual environments gain traction across industries—from finance and art to gaming and social interaction—they challenge foundational assumptions about property, contract, jurisdiction, and democratic governance. NFTs and Metaverses versus Law explores the legal disruptions triggered by these technologies through a multidimensional structure that blends doctrinal insight with regulatory and policy relevance.

The volume is organized into six thematic parts: it opens by clarifying core terminology and the constitutional implications of digital governance, then addresses how NFTs interact with financial market rules and investor protection. It examines the redefinition of ownership through tokenization, the challenges of smart contract enforceability, the risks of market concentration in decentralized ecosystems, and the emerging tensions between data protection and personalization in virtual spaces. Throughout, the book highlights regulatory gaps and tensions, especially in transnational digital contexts where territorial sovereignty collides with borderless code. Drawing on developments in the European Union—such as the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), the Digital Services Act (DSA), and the Digital Markets Act (DMA)—the analysis connects legal theory with concrete regulatory responses. Accessible yet rigorous, this work speaks to scholars, practitioners, and regulators alike. It provides both analytical tools and practical perspectives for navigating legal change in an era where digital assets hold real-world value and virtual worlds increasingly intersect with our social, economic, and legal systems. NFTs and Metaverses versus Law does not merely describe a transformation in legal thinking—it contributes to shaping its direction.

table of content

Introduction

 

Part I. NFTs and Metaverse: Definitions, Governance and Constitutional Issues

Navigating Virtual Words, the European Way

The Metaverse: Interoperability as Governance

Metaverse: Yet another jeopardy for the constitutional social contract?

Introduction

 

Part II. Financial markets

NFTs And EU Financial Markets Legislation

A New Horizon for Financial Law and Policy: Non-Fungible Tokens in the Metaverse

The new EU framework for crypto-assets: recent developments and main challenges ahead

Introduction

 

Part III. Intellectual property

NFTs: Copyright profiles--- and beyond.- The Uncanny Token

NFTs and IP: easier said than understood

Introduction

 

Part IV. Contract law

Smart contracts, NFT trading and weaker party protection

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

Smart Contracts and Contracts: The need for Legal and Technology Assurances

Introduction

 

Part V. Competition law

Virtual Worlds and Competition Issues: Same Problem, Same Solution

Metaverses, Digital and Competition Law: What's New?

Introduction

 

Part VI Privacy, Data Protection and the Market's voice

Data Protection Challenges and Privacy Issues in the Metaverse dimension

Exploring the Metaverse: opportunities, risks, and the path forward