Post by Captain Erys Murai on Feb 1, 2013 21:34:26 GMT -5
I've compiled what I can find of the history regarding sentient artificial lifeforms.
2365 - In 2365, Phillipa Louvois of the Judge Advocate General's office held a hearing in which she decided that Data was not the property of Starfleet. During the hearing the question of an android's sentience came up, but there was no formal, legal resolution on the matter. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man") Despite a lack of official acknowledgment, Data thought himself to be sentient, and many others agreed. (TNG: "The Offspring", "The Most Toys", et. al.) So much so that as of 2371, Data was considered the only sentient artificial lifeform in Federation society. (VOY: "Prototype")
2378 - The Doctor attempted to publish a holonovel entitled Photons Be Free, but it was appropriated and released without his permission by Broht & Forrester. The legal issue revolved around whether The Doctor was an "artist" within the meaning of the laws that granted rights to control the dissemination of intellectual property. The ruling was narrow in that the definition of artist in that single law was extended to a hologram, but it was an important step on the path toward granting full legal status to a hologram as a sentient entity. (VOY: "Author, Author")
2389 - In the courts, the case of the photonic life form known as The Doctor makes a small advancement after years of being stalled in hearings and appeals. On Stardate 66954.79, a Federation judge rules that the lawsuit may be expanded into a class-action suit encompassing all sentient artificial lifeforms in the Federation. "This is about more than one being and a mobile emitter," says Alyssa Cogley-Shaw, a lawyer for the Soong Foundation. "This is about basic rights."
Cogley-Shaw says that while the expansion of the lawsuit may mean that it will remain tangled in the courts for years to come, its ultimate resolution may mean an end to the forced servitude of more than 600 EMH Mark I holograms. And, as Starfleet re-equips more of its starships with holoprojectors to expand the usefulness of photonic "tools" such as the Emergency Command and Emergency Medical Holograms, someday those lifeforms may be considered Starfleet officers with all of the rights and privileges of their rank.
2391 - the Federation Supreme Court rules in favor of Phillipa Louvois and the holonovel publishers and programmers she represents, saying that the Acts of Cumberland would not apply to non-sentient holographic or artificial lifeforms. They return the Soong Foundation's class action suit to a lower court to determine what defines sentience in a legal sense. Not content with pursing its agenda in the courts, the Soong Foundation launches a campaign to lobby Federation worlds to add rights for artificial life forms to the Federation Constitution.
2393 - And the legal fight for civil rights for artificial lifeform hit a snag over the hologram known as "Moriarty." Alerted to its existence in a Starfleet computer, the Soong Foundation sued to have the program released into its custody.
Attorneys for Starfleet argued that Moriarty and his companion were a security risk, and that the program's attempt to take over the U.S.S Enterprise-D in 2369 allowed Starfleet to keep it in indefinite custody to protect the public. "That's just imprisonment without a trial," argued Alyssa Cogley-Shaw, lead attorney for the Soong Foundation. "Since when did Starfleet turn into the Obsidian Order?"
2394 - The case at the heart of the fight over the legal status of artificial lifeforms came to a close when the Supreme Court of the Federation ruled that The Doctor is indeed a sentient being, and, as such, he had the right to self-determination and the right to retain the mobile emitter brought back from the Delta Quadrant.
The court went on to set standards which artificial lifefroms must pass to be considered sentient, and ruled that any that cannot do so are technological constructs that are the property of their creators or owners.
"This is a major victory," said Alyssa Cogly-Shaw of the Soong Foundation after the ruling. "These are people, not replicators. We won't stop until every photonic lifeform has the right to choose how they want to live."
2398 - After six years of reports, panels and legislative wrangling, the Federation council approved rules for dual citizenship. This option was created to allow beings to apply for permanent residency and other rights without sundering all of their ties to their homeworlds.
Dual citizens could live and work anywhere in the Federation, apply for Federation grants, and even vote in Federation elections. However, dual citizens owed allegiance to and were subject to the laws of both political entities of which they are citizens. Also, the homeworld of an applicant must allow dual citizenship as well.
The Soong Foundation and other artificial life groups argued that the bill should be extended to artificial lifeforms, but the Federation Council refused. Artificial lifeforms must either pass the tests established by the Supreme Court of the Federation to be granted full citizenship, or they were property. There was no middle ground.
So as far as I can tell, as it currently stands, artificial lifeforms that have demonstrated their sentience are granted full citizenship under Federation Law.
Which means that legally you are not allowed to force them into an android body, or tinker with their code to "make sure they follow the three rules", or shove them inside a secondary data buffer because you don't like them.
(all information is taken either from Memory Alpha or the STO Path to 2409, and is therefore considered canon and relevant to our RP)
2365 - In 2365, Phillipa Louvois of the Judge Advocate General's office held a hearing in which she decided that Data was not the property of Starfleet. During the hearing the question of an android's sentience came up, but there was no formal, legal resolution on the matter. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man") Despite a lack of official acknowledgment, Data thought himself to be sentient, and many others agreed. (TNG: "The Offspring", "The Most Toys", et. al.) So much so that as of 2371, Data was considered the only sentient artificial lifeform in Federation society. (VOY: "Prototype")
2378 - The Doctor attempted to publish a holonovel entitled Photons Be Free, but it was appropriated and released without his permission by Broht & Forrester. The legal issue revolved around whether The Doctor was an "artist" within the meaning of the laws that granted rights to control the dissemination of intellectual property. The ruling was narrow in that the definition of artist in that single law was extended to a hologram, but it was an important step on the path toward granting full legal status to a hologram as a sentient entity. (VOY: "Author, Author")
2389 - In the courts, the case of the photonic life form known as The Doctor makes a small advancement after years of being stalled in hearings and appeals. On Stardate 66954.79, a Federation judge rules that the lawsuit may be expanded into a class-action suit encompassing all sentient artificial lifeforms in the Federation. "This is about more than one being and a mobile emitter," says Alyssa Cogley-Shaw, a lawyer for the Soong Foundation. "This is about basic rights."
Cogley-Shaw says that while the expansion of the lawsuit may mean that it will remain tangled in the courts for years to come, its ultimate resolution may mean an end to the forced servitude of more than 600 EMH Mark I holograms. And, as Starfleet re-equips more of its starships with holoprojectors to expand the usefulness of photonic "tools" such as the Emergency Command and Emergency Medical Holograms, someday those lifeforms may be considered Starfleet officers with all of the rights and privileges of their rank.
2391 - the Federation Supreme Court rules in favor of Phillipa Louvois and the holonovel publishers and programmers she represents, saying that the Acts of Cumberland would not apply to non-sentient holographic or artificial lifeforms. They return the Soong Foundation's class action suit to a lower court to determine what defines sentience in a legal sense. Not content with pursing its agenda in the courts, the Soong Foundation launches a campaign to lobby Federation worlds to add rights for artificial life forms to the Federation Constitution.
2393 - And the legal fight for civil rights for artificial lifeform hit a snag over the hologram known as "Moriarty." Alerted to its existence in a Starfleet computer, the Soong Foundation sued to have the program released into its custody.
Attorneys for Starfleet argued that Moriarty and his companion were a security risk, and that the program's attempt to take over the U.S.S Enterprise-D in 2369 allowed Starfleet to keep it in indefinite custody to protect the public. "That's just imprisonment without a trial," argued Alyssa Cogley-Shaw, lead attorney for the Soong Foundation. "Since when did Starfleet turn into the Obsidian Order?"
2394 - The case at the heart of the fight over the legal status of artificial lifeforms came to a close when the Supreme Court of the Federation ruled that The Doctor is indeed a sentient being, and, as such, he had the right to self-determination and the right to retain the mobile emitter brought back from the Delta Quadrant.
The court went on to set standards which artificial lifefroms must pass to be considered sentient, and ruled that any that cannot do so are technological constructs that are the property of their creators or owners.
"This is a major victory," said Alyssa Cogly-Shaw of the Soong Foundation after the ruling. "These are people, not replicators. We won't stop until every photonic lifeform has the right to choose how they want to live."
2398 - After six years of reports, panels and legislative wrangling, the Federation council approved rules for dual citizenship. This option was created to allow beings to apply for permanent residency and other rights without sundering all of their ties to their homeworlds.
Dual citizens could live and work anywhere in the Federation, apply for Federation grants, and even vote in Federation elections. However, dual citizens owed allegiance to and were subject to the laws of both political entities of which they are citizens. Also, the homeworld of an applicant must allow dual citizenship as well.
The Soong Foundation and other artificial life groups argued that the bill should be extended to artificial lifeforms, but the Federation Council refused. Artificial lifeforms must either pass the tests established by the Supreme Court of the Federation to be granted full citizenship, or they were property. There was no middle ground.
So as far as I can tell, as it currently stands, artificial lifeforms that have demonstrated their sentience are granted full citizenship under Federation Law.
Which means that legally you are not allowed to force them into an android body, or tinker with their code to "make sure they follow the three rules", or shove them inside a secondary data buffer because you don't like them.
(all information is taken either from Memory Alpha or the STO Path to 2409, and is therefore considered canon and relevant to our RP)