Steve Davidson
Leonard, Street and Deinard, Minnesota

Steve Davidson is chairman of the Information Technology practice at the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based law firm of Leonard, Street and Deinard and helps companies throughout the United States and in other countries with development projects, transactions and litigation involving computer and information technology. He is a former president of the International Technology Law Association and an adjunct professor of information technology law at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Steve has been fascinated by virtual worlds and their social and legal implications since late 2005, when he read Ray Kurzweil's book "The Singularity is Near," in which the author predicts that one day many people will choose to live some or all of their lives in that space. Since mid-2006, Steve has been an active resident of the Second Life "metaverse," where he owns a private island and spends time studying the evolving culture, meeting and talking with other residents about the social, commercial, and other issues they confront, and generally exploring what the virtual world has to offer.