AR/VR
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As every sector of the global economy and nearly every facet of modern society undergo digital transformation, ITIF advocates for policies that spur not just the development of IT innovations, but more importantly their adoption and use throughout the economy. In the area of AR/VR, ITIF researches how immersive technologies can transform the ways people communicate, work, and learn.

Publications and Events
April 18, 2023|Events
Fostering User Safety in AR/VR Technology
Join ITIF for a panel discussion with policymakers and thought leaders about how to ensure that users can enjoy the benefits of AR/VR technology safely.
March 23, 2023|Events
How AR/VR Can Help Expand Apprenticeship Programs
Watch the panel discussion with policymakers and industry leaders about how the use of immersive technologies could bolster the efforts to increase apprenticeship offerings and enrollment in the United States. The event will feature remarks by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE).
March 22, 2023|Blogs
Excluding Teenagers From Online Services Stifles the Development of the Metaverse
In recent weeks, lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban or heavily restrict teenagers’ use of social media. But these bills will not keep teenagers safe from online harm, and they will severely stifle the development of the metaverse—an emerging immersive digital space that offers new opportunities for learning, working, and socializing.
February 24, 2023|Blogs
Virtual Reality Is an Increasingly Competitive Market, Despite the FTC’s Concerns
Companies are flocking into an emerging field, attempting to lure consumers to their platforms with competitive prices, new features, and engaging content.
February 17, 2023|Presentations
Legal and Societal Challenges in the Metaverse
Patrick Grady speaks about legal and societal challenges in the metaverse at an event hosted by Checkstep.
February 13, 2023|Reports & Briefings
The Case for Immersive Tech in Apprenticeship Programs
Immersive technologies have already proved to be useful in supplementing classroom education and on-the-job training. Those successes underscore how implementing the technology can bolster the effectiveness of apprenticeship programs in the United States.
January 17, 2023|Reports & Briefings
User Safety in AR/VR: Protecting Adults
Policymakers should empower metaverse platforms to develop innovative tools and solutions to address safety issues and ensure AR/VR products and services don’t harm users. Overly prescriptive regulation risks stifling the progress of those innovations.
December 6, 2022|Events
How AR/VR Can Revolutionize the Way Businesses Market and Sell Products
Watch ITIF's panel discussion with industry insiders and thought leaders about how companies can use immersive technologies to market and sell products and the impact of laws and regulations on these opportunities.
December 1, 2022|Blogs
IP and the Metaverse: The Challenges of Protecting Trade Dress and Design Patent Rights in the Metaverse
As more content creators migrate to the metaverse—creating immersive, interactive, 3D virtual environments and placing virtual products within them—IP owners may face challenges in acquiring and enforcing trade dress and design patents for purely digital goods. To address this challenge, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) should issue guidance clarifying the rights associated with trade dress and design patents, especially essential terms like “functionality” and “secondary meaning,” to ensure digital goods receive IP protections just like their physical counterparts.
November 22, 2022|Events
How Should the EU Approach the Metaverse?
Watch the discussion presented by ITIF's Center for Data Innovation on what policy issues EU policymakers should focus on in a possible metaverse initiative.