MEdia: Freedom of Thought in Virtual Realities
Lecturer: Jon Festinger | UBC Peter A. Allard School of Law
Date: Tuesday, September 25th from 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Location: SWING | Room 205 | 2175 West Mall
Continuing on from his Emerging Media Community of Practice talk, Jon will expand upon the ideas explored in June.
Based on current trajectories we can project at least one future for media – that of algorithmically generated content uniquely and intentionally generated for each person delivered in a completely immersive VR environment. How should we parse the role of law in such unusual terrain where we are receiving content born of our own data, which unfettered, may be used to please us, educate us, or manipulate us? How might we determine the point at which free will is endangered so as to require legal intervention? And what legal principles and remedies could we apply to protect individuals from such harms?
Biography:
Jon Festinger, Q.C. (LL.B., B.C.L. 1980 (McGill University)) is a Vancouver, British Columbia based counsel and educator. A faculty member at the Centre for Digital Media (http://thecdm.ca) Jon has taught media, entertainment and communications law topics at the Allard School of Law, UBC, for over two decades, as well as occasionally teaching at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law and the UBC Graduate School of Journalism. He is the author of the first edition of “Video Game Law” published by LexisNexis in 2005, and co-author of the 2nd Edition published in 2012 (http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/ca/catalog/booktemplate/productdetail.jsp?prodId=prd-cad-01004). As a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Law, Jon began his legal career in private practice, in turn becoming General Counsel of WIC Western International Communications, Senior Vice President of the CTV Television Network and Executive Vice President, Business & General Counsel of the Vancouver Canucks. Jon practices law through Festinger Law & Strategy, is Past-Chair of Ronald McDonald House British Columbia and a Director of viasport B.C. . Jon is a dedicated fan of auto-racing simulations. Website: http://videogamelaw.allard.ubc.ca Twitter: @jonfestinger PSN: cdmjon
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