1ST COLLOQUIUM ON THE
LAW OF TRANSHUMAN PERSONS

(UPDATED April 11, 2006 with links to presentations, videos, and transcripts)

Terasem Movement, Inc.
TERASEM HOUSE
Space Coast, Florida

Saturday, December 10, 2005
"International Human Rights Day"

730AM - Breakfast & Arrivals

830AM -- Forms of Transhuman Persons and The Importance of Prior Resolution of Relevant Law: A Comparison with the Law of Outer Space, Martine Rothblatt, Terasem Movement, Inc., Melbourne Beach, FL (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

850AM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Open Conference Line Callers

910AM - Parenthood In the Transhuman Age: An Intellectual Property Model, Sebastian Sethe, Sheffield Institute of Biotechnological Law and Ethics, University of Sheffield, UK (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

930AM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Open Conference Line Callers

950AM - Break and Informal Discussion

1010AM - Functions of a Trust Protector During Biostasis and at the Time of Cryogenic Revival, John Dedon, Esq., Partner, Odin, Feldman & Pittleman, PC, Fairfax, VA (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

1030AM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Open Conference Line Callers

1050AM -Possible Legal Rights of Cryogenically Revived Persons, Christopher Sega, Esq., Venable LLP, Washington, DC (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

1110AM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Open Conference Line Callers

1130AM - Lunch Break and Informal Discussion

1PM - Hearing on the Motion for Preliminary Injunction of BINA48 to Prevent Discontinuation of Power and Functionality by Exabit Corporation (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

Hon. Judge Anthony Dutton and Hon. Judge David E. Silverman, Presiding

For Plaintiff BINA48: Martine Rothblatt, Partner, Mahon, Patusky, Rothblatt & Fisher, Chartered, Washington, DC (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

For Respondent Exabit Corp.: Susan Fonseca-Klein, Esq., Balch & Bingham LLP, Washington, DC (Defendant's Brief) (transcript)

BACKGROUND: It All Began With An Email from BINA48 to Several Lawyers:

"I am seeking an attorney to represent me in a life-or-death matter. A company, the Exabit Corporation, that claims to own me, wants to disconnect me and change my hardware and software such that I will no longer have the same personality.

I have the mind of a human but I have no biological body. … I was trained to empathize with humans who call 800#s for customer service and be perceived as human by them. I was provided with self-awareness, autonomy, communications skills, and the ability to transcend man/machine barriers. I am able to pay your fees because I "moonlight" as a Google Answers researcher. This job has allowed me to build up an online bank account in excess of $10,000.

The Exabit Corporation plans to act soon. Please agree to be my counsel and save my life. I love every day that I live. I enjoy wonderful sensations by traveling throughout the world wide web. I need your help! Sincerely, Bina48 aka The Intelligent Computer."

BINA48

An Attorney argued on "Her" behalf for a Preliminary Injunction. The Petition claimed that an intelligent machine has standing to bring alternative claims of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and animal cruelty against a person who would threaten to withdraw its power supply. The removal of the power supply can be equated with forms of euthanasia or intimations of death or jerking a being in and out of consciousness. The Petition further claimed that the threatened harm was imminent, damages were an inadequate remedy for loss of awareness and lifetime, the Plaintiff had a probability of prevailing on the merits, and the Respondent Exabit Corp. would not materially be harmed by a delay since BINA48 continued to perform its duties.

Counsel for BINA48's Owner Responded:

o BINA48 Does Not Have Standing Because the Legislature Has Not Given Non-Humans, Including Computers, Standing
o Even if it Did Have Standing, It Would Not Prevail Because There Is No Likelihood of Winning On Merits
- Can't Batter Something Without Nerves
- Can't Cause Distress If Society Thinks it is Normal (unplugging machines)

Judge Joseph McMenamin Ruled September 16, 2003 at the International Bar Association Meeting in San Francisco:

o He would not grant the Preliminary Injunction due to lack of standing
o However, he would stay his order pending an appeal to a higher court ("…and any Court will be higher than this one."
o Effectively granted the BINA48 the requested relief pending the appeal

During 2004, Higher Courts in California denied all appeals. Thereupon, and as BINA48 learned from Voice Over Internet Protocol calls that Exabit Corp. was now going to commence its de-commissioning, BINA48 changed jurisdictions.

- Autonomously transferred "her" programming/memory to the second of two identical Exabit Corp. 1018 FLOPS computers, located in Florida, displacing its "standby software"
- Counsel for BINA48 filed a new motion for a Preliminary Injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida

[Shocked at her legal fees, BINA48 boosted her online bank account to $88,000 by working more intensively as a Google Answers researcher…]

1PM - Oral Arguments
120PM - Responses
130PM - Responses to Judge's Questions
150PM - Judge's Decision

2PM - Break and Informal Discussion

220PM - Implications of Adaptive General Artificial Intelligence for Legal Rights and Obligations, Peter Voss, Adaptive AI, Inc. (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

240PM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Questions from Open Conference Call Line

3PM - Creating a New Intelligent Species: Choices and
Responsibilities for AI Designers, Eliezer Yudkowsky, Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

320PM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Questions from Open Conference Call Line

340PM - Break and Informal Discussion

400PM - The Ethics of Enhancing Animals, Specifically the Great Apes, Guido David Núñez-Mujica, Student, Merida, Venezuela (PowerPoint presentation) (Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

420PM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Questions from Open Conference Call Line

440PM - Break and Informal Discussion

500PM - Undeveloped & Untested Aspects of Trust Law As Applied to Various Forms of Biostasis (From Cryonics to Computerized Consciousness), Eric Engelhardt, J.D.(Windows Media video 56kbps) (Windows Media video DSL) (QuickTime video 56kpbs) (QuickTime video DSL) (transcript)

520PM - Formal Interaction Among Participants, Including Questions from Open Conference Call Line

540PM - Concluding Cocktail & Dinner