'Objectophile' Sues to Marry Laptop Again
In what may seem like a venture into the category of the legally weird for this legal tech blog, a recent lawsuit that was dismissed by the Texas courts tells a tale too odd not to share, again and again.
A self-described "Objectophile" lost his Texas lawsuit filed in order to be able to marry his own laptop, and he's tried this more than once. But barring the general considerations of the physical impossibility of marrying personal property, there's an interesting question that follows, beyond just what in the digitally-damned hell this guy was thinking.
But First, What?
Chris Sevier seems to be filing whatever he can possible dream up to challenge marriage equality. He is an opponent of same-sex marriage and allegedly has the end of marriage equality as an end game. His most recent challenge was filed alongside a thruple that wanted to wed over the anti-polygamy laws. Naturally, the court dismissed the lawsuit, pulling his plug. But Sevier apparently will be plugging back in and re-filing, like he does apparently.
Despite Sevier's misguided approached to activism, in a time where AI robots are gaining citizenship, Sevier needs to be careful or he could end up being the real-life John Connor, or something like that, if he's ever actually successful.
Robot Rights to Citizenship
Okay, so it may only be one robot so far, and it may not be a U.S. citizen, but that doesn't mean robot citizenship isn't around the corner. And when it happens, and mankind and robot-kind has to live in harmony, what then? Without actually going into the facts of Sevier's case (because who would actually want to), it would seem that a robot AI would have to be able to meaningfully consent to marriage. It's doubtful his laptop could. And if it could, you'd think the computer would know that it could do better. However, at a certain point, individual rights for robots and AI may be necessary.
Related Resources:
- Reports: Ethereum Smart Contracts Are Far From Secure (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Biggest Cyberthreats to Lawyers (FindLaw's Technologist)
- Does My Firm Need Blockchain? What For? (FindLaw's Technologist)