UK Law and Practice Contributed by: Jamie Singer and Flora Peel, Onside Law
with stringent privacy regulations. Regulatory frameworks, such as the UK’s Online Safety Bill, underscore the importance of moderation and accountability among delivery partners in safeguarding users from online harm. Further - more, as the metaverse relies on blockchain and cryptocurrencies, concerns about sustainability emerge, potentially deterring brands that are try - ing to minimise their environmental impact. Manchester City and Sony have been working together for the past few years to recreate the Etihad Stadium in a virtual world. Fans across the world could, for example, explore and watch Manchester City play and train. The concept involves fans being a part of the game in ways we can currently only imagine. They would them - selves be a part of the action, no matter where they are in the world. There would also be no limits on stadium capacity.
Part of the attraction lies in the possibility for fans to interact with their heroes, as well as each other, from the best possible viewpoints in the stadium. There is further talk of a 3D for - mat across the globe, with fans attending at dif - ferent locations and wearing headsets to enjoy the experience. In the USA, Major League Bas - ketball (MLB) games have welcomed fans into their virtual stadiums and “stood” in the outfield, with Hawk-Eye cameras capturing the in-arena movements of the ball and players and translat - ing them into a real-time virtual display. Addition - ally, MLB sponsors, including Corona and Mas - tercard, were seen on branding displays inside the virtual stadiums. Rights-holders and partners will need to quickly consider whether these types of rights are rel - evant in any contractual agreements, as the metaverse truly does seem to have the potential to transform the world of sport as we know it. However, at present the revenues are not sig - nificant, although it is clear it could become a multi-million industry in the near future.
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