Mind clone

Mind Cloning is a heavily regulated technology that allows an individual to duplicate their memories into a new body, be it a human clone (identical or modified), an android body (with or without behavioral locks), or a cyborg body.
Digitizing oneself into a virtual reality world is not considered Mind Cloning for legal purposes. Downloading one's brain into an existing body once it has been digitized in a VR world currently has no legal precedent, therefore having an ambiguous legal status.
== Legality ==
=== Earth ===
When the Human Connectome was deciphered during the Robotic Revolution on Earth, the appearance of mind cloning was one of the first consequences. Due to overpopulation concerns, mind cloning was forbidden on Earth. Not that it prevented people from creating mind clones illegally.
In Midoria, mind cloning is not forbidden per-se; instead, it has an ambiguous legal status, depending on the country, the technology used for the brain, and the technology used for the body. Since it's a rare ocurrence, mind cloning is usually considered illegal by the population. The laws to regulate brain cloning must be negotiated in the United Nations, where care must be given to the conditions so the recipients will not try to work around the Immortality Prevention Law.
=== Esperanza ===
In Esperanza, Mind Cloning is allowed as long as the brain is not physically transplanted into an android body. Cloning an individual's memories into a human clone is outright illegal. However, due to a legal loophole, downloading a human brain's connectome into a synthetic body is allowed, given the conditions that the human is in immediate danger of death. In that case, the recipient becomes technically a cyborg. This loophole has been exploited by Eden Health Services, an enterprise dedicated to giving terminal illness patients a new life as liberated androids, in exchange for a 75-year exclusivity labor contract.
=== Hong Kong ===
In Hong Kong, all forms of Mind Cloning are illegal, with the exception of terminally-ill patients younger than 18 years old, or with less than 6 months of life left. However, it is illegal to create human clones, which would only make it possible for a person to clone themselves into a cybernetic body for life extension purposes. 
=== Nova Europa ===
In the countries of Nova Europa, cloning an individual's memories into a human clone is illegal. However, it's not illegal if the clone is a cyborg and the individual considers his life to be in mortal danger. There is a restriction, however, on the number of clones: A human cannot have more than three simultaneous mind clones. However, another loophole is found: The limit to distinguish a brain clone from the original is one year of different memories, which technically could allow a human to multiply his number of brain clones, as long as the brain clones keep cloning their brains in a geometric proportion. However, there are no known legal cases of this happening.
=== Nippon ===
In Nippon, human and mind cloning is allowed as long as the clone is kept in stasis until the original dies. If the original dies of natural causes and not because of an attack on his life, the clone is disposed. The only exception of this rule are people who wish to become Youkai, where mind cloning is allowed if physical brain transplant cannot be performed due to the inherent health risks.
=== Petrovia ===
In Petrovia, mind cloning is allowed only if a special license is granted by the government. As of the past four centuries, only government officials are granted permissions to clone their minds.
=== China ===
In China, brain cloning is forbidden for any mortal human. Originally, it was forbidden for all humans until Lao Xu's followers acquired the majority of the congress. Since then, they added an exception to immortal humans. This way Lao Xu became excempt of this rule.
=== Mexico ===
In Mexico, mind cloning is allowed as long as the clone is kept in stasis until the original dies. Mind cloning is allowed only allowed to those given a license for it. Licenses cost a million credits, and are often granted to exceptional artists or terminally-ill children. Fundación Clonatón organizes yearly telethons to fund cloning for terminally ill children of poor families.
== Notable Mind Clones ==
Notable Brain Clones in the Midoria Files Universe are:
* Lao Xu - Lao Xu keeps cloning himself and his memories every year as to appear to be immortal. This way, he has acquired a religious status as a god.
* K41n - K41n has cloned his mind several times to expand his network of mercenaries. No clone of K41n is identical, and all clones have substantially different DNA. The fact that K41n's network is composed mainly of mind clones is kept a secret. Those who learn this fact are often assassinated.
* Diana González de la Vega has cloned her mind into a cyborg clone of her, Dianne Connor. Only a few people are aware of Dianne Connor's true identity; the first of all, Doctor Lailah de la Fuente, and by extension, Dr. de la Fuente's digitized self, Mother.
* Doctor Lailah de la Fuente had her mind cloned first at the Babylon Tower (thus creating Mother), and ten years after her death, at Eden Health Services.
* Mother created a limited mind clone of herself called Guanyin, in the form of a Virtual Sensei downloaded into Liu Guang's brain implants. Unlike other virtual senseis, Guanyin is a True A.I.
Category:Technology