The idea of reasonableness is pervasive in law. At the domestic, international, and transnational... more The idea of reasonableness is pervasive in law. At the domestic, international, and transnational levels, this idea assists the law in responding to the many different aspects relevant to its operation in contemporary legal systems, which are characterized by a plurality of legal sources and claims of legal protection. The legal discourse resorts to reasonableness to characterize the expectations of the parties in a contractual relationship; the patterns of conduct to be assessed in order to ascribe criminal or civil liability; the exercise of institutional power; or the use of public resources by institutions. Moreover, reasonableness provides a legal standard for balancing different normative possibilities, measures, and arguments in relation to different circumstances. The law evaluates according to determinations of reasonableness beliefs and actions (i.e., epistemic and practical choices). When reasonableness is used as a legal standard, thoughts and actions violating it, namel...
Legal Evidence and Proof: Statistics, Stories, Logic, 2009
The legal concept of burden of proof is notoriously complex and ambiguous. Various kinds of burde... more The legal concept of burden of proof is notoriously complex and ambiguous. Various kinds of burdens of proof have been distinguished, such as the burden of persuasion, burden of production and tactical burden of proof, and these notions have been described by ...
This paper introduces argumentation over defeasible preferences in Arg2P, an argumentation framew... more This paper introduces argumentation over defeasible preferences in Arg2P, an argumentation framework based on logic programming. A computational mechanism is first implemented in Arg2P according to Dung’s defeasible preference model, then generalised to enable arbitrary preference relations over arguments.
Different formalisms for defeasible reasoning have been used to represent knowledge and reason in... more Different formalisms for defeasible reasoning have been used to represent knowledge and reason in the legal field. In this work, we provide an overview of the following logic-based approaches to defeasible reasoning: defeasible logic, Answer Set Programming, ABA+, ASPIC+, and DeLP. We compare features of these approaches under three perspectives: the logical model (knowledge representation), the method (computational mechanisms), and the technology (available software resources). On top of that, two real examples in the legal domain are designed and implemented in ASPIC+ to showcase the benefit of an argumentation approach in real-world domains. The CrossJustice and Interlex projects are taken as a testbed, and experiments are conducted with the Arg2P technology.
A logical model for arguments dealing with statutory interpretation will be here provided. The ba... more A logical model for arguments dealing with statutory interpretation will be here provided. The basic assumption is that interpretive arguments can be viewed as defeasible inferences: they support their conclusion, but this support is merely presumptive, since it may be challenged by counterarguments. First a general pattern is introduced for representing arguments dealing with statutory interpretation. It is shown how interpretive arguments may be defeated by counterarguments, and how arguments and counterarguments may participate in larger argumentative interactions, where defeated arguments are reinstated when their defeaters are in turn defeated. The idea is then developed of an interpretive argumentation basis, i.e., of a given set of interpretive canons and premises that can be used to build, or attack, interpretive arguments. The corresponding interpretive argumentation framework is considered, which includes the set of all interpretive arguments that can be constructed using ...
SPIRIT. H2020. Scalable privacy preserving intelligence analysis for resolving identities<stro... more SPIRIT. H2020. Scalable privacy preserving intelligence analysis for resolving identities<strong>. </strong>Grant Agreement number: 786993 Deliverable 9.3 outlines the SPIRIT ethical monitoring procedures and structures set up by the SPIRIT Consortium to monitor all relevant ethical and legal issues that may arise during the project. The primary role of the Ethical Advisory Board (hereinafter EAB) is to provide independent advice, guidance and monitoring procedures to the SPIRIT Consortium. Roles and functions of the Ethical Advisory Board and the Data Protection Officer.
The paper discusses how explainability can be provided through logic programming and argumentatio... more The paper discusses how explainability can be provided through logic programming and argumentation. In particular, a real case study is considered – the CrossJustice project – together with a ready-to-use technology—namely Arg2P, which seamlessly integrates logic programming and argumentation. Examples are developed and discussed showing the effectiveness of such a blended approach.
There are occasions in which an agent lengthens its own action through the implementation of a fo... more There are occasions in which an agent lengthens its own action through the implementation of a foreign activity for its own interests. We focus on the occasional dependence relation between a principal agent and a helper agent. In particular, we are interested in the helper’s harmful performance that has its origin in extra contractual situations e.g. factual and/or occasional situations based on trust or courtesy which may lead to the emergence of an obligation to compensate third parties.
Tarello (1980) identified fifteen kinds of arguments used for statutory interpretation, and later... more Tarello (1980) identified fifteen kinds of arguments used for statutory interpretation, and later, MacCormick and Summers (1991) recognized eleven types of interpretive arguments. Building on this work, the aim of this paper, part of a wider research project, is to formulate argumentation schemes for statutory interpretation. To indicate the direction of this work, an example of one of the schemes is given along with a set of critical questions. Also, a brief indication is given of the extended example used to show how the schemes are to be fitted to the argumentation in a case. In the example scheme below, E represents an expression (word, phrase, sentence) that was used in a document (source, text, statute) D where E can be given more than one interpretation (I1, I2, . . .In) in document D. In addition, E can be shown to be used in setting Si of S1, . . ., S11.
In a ceteris-paribus semantics for deontic logic, a state of affairs where a larger set of prescr... more In a ceteris-paribus semantics for deontic logic, a state of affairs where a larger set of prescriptions is respected is preferable to a state of affairs where some of them are violated. Conditional preference nets (CP-nets) are a compact formalism to express and analyse ceteris paribus preferences, which nice computational properties. This paper shows how deontic concepts can be captured through conditional preference models. A restricted deontic logic will be defined, and mapped into conditional preference nets. We shall also show how to model contrary to duties obligations in CP-nets and how to capture in this formalism the distinction between strong and weak permission.
The adoption of increasingly automated technologies in ATM raises new liability issues that quest... more The adoption of increasingly automated technologies in ATM raises new liability issues that question the traditional approach on liability attribution. In this paper, we present some preliminary results from the ALIAS Project (Addressing the Liability Impact of Automated Systems). Firstly, a theoretical framework for liability attribution in aviation is presented. Secondly, the framework is applied to real air disasters and to hypothetical accident scenarios involving Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The results are briefly discussed. Foreword— This paper describes a project that is part of SESAR Work Package E, which is addressing long-term and innovative research.
Artificial agents are used to automate task in many different scenarios. Nowadays, they are so pe... more Artificial agents are used to automate task in many different scenarios. Nowadays, they are so pervasive and so fast that it is almost impossible for humans to monitor them in order to predict illegal behaviour. A possible solution is to embed a mapping of the governance into these entities [10]. This will allow to partially translate legal and ethical requirements into computable representations of legal knowledge and reasoning. An example comes from obligations and permissions that are pervasive in law. Both of them are concepts captured in deontic logic which has been viewed as a promising component of computational models of legal knowledge and reasoning, on different grounds [7, 15]. Deontic logic is a set of formal tools, usually based on modal logic [2, 5] which could be compositionally integrated with other logical formalism [3, 8]. In this work, we provide the semantics for a deontic logic based on the intuitive idea that obligations and permissions consist in preferences o...
I address the novelties contained in the “Proposal for a Data Protection Regulation”, recently ad... more I address the novelties contained in the “Proposal for a Data Protection Regulation”, recently advanced by the EU Commission, with regard to providers’ liabilities and the right to be forgotten. First I consider how the Proposal regulates the contentious overlap of e-commerce immunities and data protection rules. Then I examine providers’ knowledge that illegal personal information has been uploaded on their platform, and discuss whether such knowledge should terminate providers’ immunity. Finally, I critically assess the right to be forgotten, newly introduced in the Proposal, and the sanctions for its violation.
The idea of reasonableness is pervasive in law. At the domestic, international, and transnational... more The idea of reasonableness is pervasive in law. At the domestic, international, and transnational levels, this idea assists the law in responding to the many different aspects relevant to its operation in contemporary legal systems, which are characterized by a plurality of legal sources and claims of legal protection. The legal discourse resorts to reasonableness to characterize the expectations of the parties in a contractual relationship; the patterns of conduct to be assessed in order to ascribe criminal or civil liability; the exercise of institutional power; or the use of public resources by institutions. Moreover, reasonableness provides a legal standard for balancing different normative possibilities, measures, and arguments in relation to different circumstances. The law evaluates according to determinations of reasonableness beliefs and actions (i.e., epistemic and practical choices). When reasonableness is used as a legal standard, thoughts and actions violating it, namel...
Legal Evidence and Proof: Statistics, Stories, Logic, 2009
The legal concept of burden of proof is notoriously complex and ambiguous. Various kinds of burde... more The legal concept of burden of proof is notoriously complex and ambiguous. Various kinds of burdens of proof have been distinguished, such as the burden of persuasion, burden of production and tactical burden of proof, and these notions have been described by ...
This paper introduces argumentation over defeasible preferences in Arg2P, an argumentation framew... more This paper introduces argumentation over defeasible preferences in Arg2P, an argumentation framework based on logic programming. A computational mechanism is first implemented in Arg2P according to Dung’s defeasible preference model, then generalised to enable arbitrary preference relations over arguments.
Different formalisms for defeasible reasoning have been used to represent knowledge and reason in... more Different formalisms for defeasible reasoning have been used to represent knowledge and reason in the legal field. In this work, we provide an overview of the following logic-based approaches to defeasible reasoning: defeasible logic, Answer Set Programming, ABA+, ASPIC+, and DeLP. We compare features of these approaches under three perspectives: the logical model (knowledge representation), the method (computational mechanisms), and the technology (available software resources). On top of that, two real examples in the legal domain are designed and implemented in ASPIC+ to showcase the benefit of an argumentation approach in real-world domains. The CrossJustice and Interlex projects are taken as a testbed, and experiments are conducted with the Arg2P technology.
A logical model for arguments dealing with statutory interpretation will be here provided. The ba... more A logical model for arguments dealing with statutory interpretation will be here provided. The basic assumption is that interpretive arguments can be viewed as defeasible inferences: they support their conclusion, but this support is merely presumptive, since it may be challenged by counterarguments. First a general pattern is introduced for representing arguments dealing with statutory interpretation. It is shown how interpretive arguments may be defeated by counterarguments, and how arguments and counterarguments may participate in larger argumentative interactions, where defeated arguments are reinstated when their defeaters are in turn defeated. The idea is then developed of an interpretive argumentation basis, i.e., of a given set of interpretive canons and premises that can be used to build, or attack, interpretive arguments. The corresponding interpretive argumentation framework is considered, which includes the set of all interpretive arguments that can be constructed using ...
SPIRIT. H2020. Scalable privacy preserving intelligence analysis for resolving identities<stro... more SPIRIT. H2020. Scalable privacy preserving intelligence analysis for resolving identities<strong>. </strong>Grant Agreement number: 786993 Deliverable 9.3 outlines the SPIRIT ethical monitoring procedures and structures set up by the SPIRIT Consortium to monitor all relevant ethical and legal issues that may arise during the project. The primary role of the Ethical Advisory Board (hereinafter EAB) is to provide independent advice, guidance and monitoring procedures to the SPIRIT Consortium. Roles and functions of the Ethical Advisory Board and the Data Protection Officer.
The paper discusses how explainability can be provided through logic programming and argumentatio... more The paper discusses how explainability can be provided through logic programming and argumentation. In particular, a real case study is considered – the CrossJustice project – together with a ready-to-use technology—namely Arg2P, which seamlessly integrates logic programming and argumentation. Examples are developed and discussed showing the effectiveness of such a blended approach.
There are occasions in which an agent lengthens its own action through the implementation of a fo... more There are occasions in which an agent lengthens its own action through the implementation of a foreign activity for its own interests. We focus on the occasional dependence relation between a principal agent and a helper agent. In particular, we are interested in the helper’s harmful performance that has its origin in extra contractual situations e.g. factual and/or occasional situations based on trust or courtesy which may lead to the emergence of an obligation to compensate third parties.
Tarello (1980) identified fifteen kinds of arguments used for statutory interpretation, and later... more Tarello (1980) identified fifteen kinds of arguments used for statutory interpretation, and later, MacCormick and Summers (1991) recognized eleven types of interpretive arguments. Building on this work, the aim of this paper, part of a wider research project, is to formulate argumentation schemes for statutory interpretation. To indicate the direction of this work, an example of one of the schemes is given along with a set of critical questions. Also, a brief indication is given of the extended example used to show how the schemes are to be fitted to the argumentation in a case. In the example scheme below, E represents an expression (word, phrase, sentence) that was used in a document (source, text, statute) D where E can be given more than one interpretation (I1, I2, . . .In) in document D. In addition, E can be shown to be used in setting Si of S1, . . ., S11.
In a ceteris-paribus semantics for deontic logic, a state of affairs where a larger set of prescr... more In a ceteris-paribus semantics for deontic logic, a state of affairs where a larger set of prescriptions is respected is preferable to a state of affairs where some of them are violated. Conditional preference nets (CP-nets) are a compact formalism to express and analyse ceteris paribus preferences, which nice computational properties. This paper shows how deontic concepts can be captured through conditional preference models. A restricted deontic logic will be defined, and mapped into conditional preference nets. We shall also show how to model contrary to duties obligations in CP-nets and how to capture in this formalism the distinction between strong and weak permission.
The adoption of increasingly automated technologies in ATM raises new liability issues that quest... more The adoption of increasingly automated technologies in ATM raises new liability issues that question the traditional approach on liability attribution. In this paper, we present some preliminary results from the ALIAS Project (Addressing the Liability Impact of Automated Systems). Firstly, a theoretical framework for liability attribution in aviation is presented. Secondly, the framework is applied to real air disasters and to hypothetical accident scenarios involving Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The results are briefly discussed. Foreword— This paper describes a project that is part of SESAR Work Package E, which is addressing long-term and innovative research.
Artificial agents are used to automate task in many different scenarios. Nowadays, they are so pe... more Artificial agents are used to automate task in many different scenarios. Nowadays, they are so pervasive and so fast that it is almost impossible for humans to monitor them in order to predict illegal behaviour. A possible solution is to embed a mapping of the governance into these entities [10]. This will allow to partially translate legal and ethical requirements into computable representations of legal knowledge and reasoning. An example comes from obligations and permissions that are pervasive in law. Both of them are concepts captured in deontic logic which has been viewed as a promising component of computational models of legal knowledge and reasoning, on different grounds [7, 15]. Deontic logic is a set of formal tools, usually based on modal logic [2, 5] which could be compositionally integrated with other logical formalism [3, 8]. In this work, we provide the semantics for a deontic logic based on the intuitive idea that obligations and permissions consist in preferences o...
I address the novelties contained in the “Proposal for a Data Protection Regulation”, recently ad... more I address the novelties contained in the “Proposal for a Data Protection Regulation”, recently advanced by the EU Commission, with regard to providers’ liabilities and the right to be forgotten. First I consider how the Proposal regulates the contentious overlap of e-commerce immunities and data protection rules. Then I examine providers’ knowledge that illegal personal information has been uploaded on their platform, and discuss whether such knowledge should terminate providers’ immunity. Finally, I critically assess the right to be forgotten, newly introduced in the Proposal, and the sanctions for its violation.
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