METAJUST – METAVERSE JUSTICE: LEGAL AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR JUSTICE IN THE METAVERSE
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METAJUST – METAVERSE JUSTICE: LEGAL AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR JUSTICE IN THE METAVERSE

In recent years, the rapid spread of immersive technologies has opened new research and experimentation perspectives, redefining the way in which individuals, institutions and enterprises interact within the digital space. In this scenario, the Metaverse emerges as one of the most debated and potentially transformative technological paradigms, capable of combining technical innovation, social dimension, and ethical and legal reflection. However, alongside the initial enthusiasm and the promises linked to its implementation, crucial questions arise regarding its actual sustainability, the risks connected to the concentration of technological power, and the impact that such virtual environments may have on fundamental rights and public institutions.

Within this context, the MetaJust project – Metaverse Justice: Legal and Practical Implications for Justice in the Metaverse, is situated. The project aims to explore systematically and in a interdisciplinary fashion the implications of the Metaverse for the justice system and for Public Administration. MetaJust seeks to investigate not only the opportunities that these technologies offer in terms of access to justice, efficiency and professional training, but also the challenges they pose in terms of legitimacy, transparency and the protection of rights.

One of the most innovative elements of the project is the virtual courtroom experimentation, developed through the use of immersive virtual reality (VR). This prototype is conceived as a tool for empirical analysis, simulation and training, and is aimed at concretely exploring the possibilities and limits of a “justice in the Metaverse”. Through testing activities, consultations with stakeholders and experimentation of the virtual court for legal clinics, the project aims to assess the technical feasibility, sustainability and deontological implications of such environments, contributing to the outlining of future scenarios of cyber-justice based on principles of transparency, accessibility and inclusion.

Project description

The project is structured into three main phases:

  1. Analysis of the Metaverse context, which includes the study of the different existing virtual environments, current and potential services for public administration and justice, and governance models.
  2. Analysis of ethical and legal implications, with particular attention to fundamental rights, the protection of minors, intellectual property, cybersecurity, and the consequences for the rule of law of judicial services in the Metaverse.
  3. Development and experimentation of the MetaJust platform, a system based on immersive virtual reality that reproduces a courtroom, designed for simulation, training and empirical research activities.

Preliminary results

Throughout the various phases of implementation of the MetaJust project, the research units achieved significant results on both the analytical and empirical levels.

  • A first set of activities concerned the analysis of the digital and social context within which the Metaverse emerged and developed. This analysis outlines the main technological, economic and cultural trajectories that contributed to its consolidation.
  • Secondly, an analysis developed on the process of digitalisation of the Italian Public Administration, framed within the context of European and national strategies such as the Digital Compass 2030 and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

The construction of a structured database was also initiated, aimed at collecting and classifying pilot and operational experiences of public services delivered through immersive technologies.

In parallel, a qualitative analysis of the contexts of use of immersive technologies in the Italian Public Administration was conducted through semi-structured interviews with professionals working in the fields of healthcare, education and culture.

  • At the regulatory level, a contribution was drafted to analyse the main regulatory profiles of the Metaverse, including the legal identity of avatars, cybersecurity, the protection of minors and consumers, and the transparency of terms of service. Attention was devoted to the use of blockchain/DAO technologies, considered as enabling factors for the security and traceability of processes, as well as to their application in electronic justice systems.
  • At the technological level, activities for the development and preliminary testing of the Virtual Courtroom were initiated to verify usability and the quality of the immersive experience.
  • Finally, the project launched an intensive programme of scientific dissemination and interdisciplinary dialogue. Among the main initiatives:

– Presentation of the paper “MetaJust: Shaping Justice in the Metaverse” (Michela Trinchese – Giampiero Lupo) at the 10th STS Italia Conference (Technoscience for Good), Polytechnic of Milano, 11-13 June 2024;

– Presentation “Technologies through Participation in Justice: LINK, SEVeso, Meta-Just, IDEA” (Giampiero Lupo) at the Autonomy Through Cyberjustice Technologies (ACT) annual conference, 15–16 October 2025, UniversitĂ© de MontrĂ©al, MontrĂ©al, QuĂ©bec, Canada;

– Trinchese, M. Metaverse Justice: Legal and Practical Implications for Justice in the Metaverse. Young Researchers Panel at the Cyberjustice Europe 2025 Conference, organised by the Robert Badinter Institute, the UniversitĂ© de MontrĂ©al Cyberjustice Laboratory, the LexUM Chair on Legal Information, and the Council of Europe European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), 3 December 2025, Strasbourg, France.

The submission of three academic paper:

– Lupo, G.; Trinchese, M. (2025). “Tecnologie immersive e trasformazioni della giustizia: il processo nel Metaverso”, to be published.

– Lupo, G.; Trinchese, M. (2025). “Immersive Technologies and the Transformation of Judicial Processes: Towards Justice in the Metaverse”, to be published.

– Boscia, V.; Stefanelli, V.; Ferilli, G.B. (2024). “What is the Perception of the Metaverse in the Finance Sector? An Analysis of Practitioners’ Awareness and Attitudes to Innovate”, to be published.

Upcoming collective volume: Metaverse Justice: Legal and Practical Implications for Justice in the Metaverse, edited by Giampiero Lupo, Vito Manghisi, Stefania Massari, and Fabiana Di Porto.

Project duration

The MetaJust project has a duration of two years: 1/12/2023 – 28/02/2026

Universities and Research Institutes Involved

  • National Research Council (CNR) – Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems “Eduardo Caianiello”, Lecce

Dr Giampiero Lupo (Principal Investigator); Dr Andrea De Salve; Dr Michela Trinchese

  • University of Salento – Department of Economics

Prof Stefania Massari (Research Unit Coordinator); Prof Vittorio Boscia; Prof Valeria Stefanelli; Dr Paolo Tullio; Dr Greta Ferilli; Prof Marcello Ruberti; Dr Marco Chironi

  • Politecnico di Bari – Department of Mechanical, Mathematical and Management Sciences

Prof Vito Modesto Manghisi (Research Unit Coordinator); Dr Alessandro Evangelista

Research Outputs

  1. Trinchese, M.; Lupo, G. (2025). Metaverso e Pubblica Amministrazione: Sfide, Opportunità e Diritti nell’Evoluzione Digitale dei Servizi Pubblici, Project Report.
  2. Trinchese, M.; Lupo, G. (2025). The Metaverse Context Analysis, Project Report.
  3. Lupo, G.; Tullio, P. (2024). Discussione sui Requisiti di Sistema “Virtual Court”, Project Report.
  4. Manghisi, V. M. (2025). State of the Art on the Latest Applications for Virtual Courtrooms (e.g., Legal Clinics) in the IVR Field, Project Report.
  5. Di Porto, F.; Chironi, M. (2025). Contesto Giuridico del Metaverso: tra Stato dell’Arte e Lacune Normative, Project Report.
  6. De Salve, A. (2025). Justice in the Digital Realm: Examining Security and Privacy in Metaverse-Enabled Virtual Courts with Blockchain Integration, Project Report.
  7. Di Porto, F., Lupo, G., Trinchese, M., & Marco, C. (2026). White Paper: Policy Reccomandations. Zenodo.

Events

  1. Milestone 1[GL1]  Results Workshop – “MetaJust. La giustizia nel Metaverso: implicazioni tecno/legali dello sviluppo del Tribunale Virtuale”, 17 March 2025, Conference Room, Rectorate, Piazza Tancredi 7.
  2. Milestone 2[GL2]  Results Workshop – “Processo al Metaverso”, 17 September 2025, Online Meeting.
  3. Milestone 3[GL3]  Workshop: GIUSTIZIA E DIRITTI NEL METAVERSO; conferenza conclusiva del progetto Metaverse Justice: Legal and Practical Implications for Justice in the Metaverse; 22 FEBBRAIO 2026 | 18.00, TAGLIATELLE – STAZIONE NINFEO, Lecce.

Funding Statement

This project is funded under the PRIN 2022 call – Projects of Relevant National Interest, supported by the PNRR. The opinions and views expressed are exclusively those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) or the European Union. Neither the European Union, the MUR, nor the managing authorities can be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein.

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