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Category Archives: Virtual Stuff…
UPDATE: Virtual Horse Case, Amaretto Ranch v. Ozimals
When Judge Frank Easterbrook disparaged the emerging field of cyberspace law in 1996 by comparing it to the “law of the horse,” i.e. that there was no such thing, it’s unlikely that he ever imagined that there would one day … Continue reading
Analysts Pessimistic About Zynga’s Growth Potential Ahead of IPO
Perhaps the most well-known social gaming company is getting ready to launch its initial public offering (IPO) later this week and analysts are already tamping down expectations. Forbes reports that predictions of the Farmville parent company will ”slow to … Continue reading
Posted in Multi-user Online Environments, Virtual Currency, Virtual Items / Virtual Goods
Tagged Castleville, Cityville, Farmville, IPO, Petville, Poker, Zynga
2 Comments
Happy 7th Anniversary to World of Warcraft!
Congratulations are in order. Starting today, Blizzard is marking the seventh year since the renowned virtual world, World of Warcraft, began consuming all the free time of millions of people across the globe. It’s quite an achievement for any service, … Continue reading
Posted in Virtual Stuff..., Virtual Worlds
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Is your online game gold real?
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that my law review article about virtual items was published in the William Mitchell Law Review this month. I’m very excited about it, and apparently, I’m not the only … Continue reading
Getting the Goods on Virtual Items
Hey everyone, thanks for being a loyal reader of this blog. I thought I’d share the good news that my law review article is going to be published in the William Mitchell Law Review this fall. If you’d like to read … Continue reading
Posted in Virtual Stuff..., Virtual Worlds
Tagged social networks, virtual goods, virtual items, virtual worlds
1 Comment
Blizzard Changes Course, Integrates Real Money Trading Into Diablo III
If you’re a hardcore player of World of Warcraft, you know how stringently its parent company, Blizzard, has fought to keep the spectre of real money trading (RMT) from corrupting the game. Gold farming and power leveling were/are scourges of … Continue reading
Feeding Virtual Horses Sparks an IP Battle in Second Life
I’m not sure how I missed this story when it first emerged last winter. A company that designs and sells virtual animals in Second Life is suing a competing animal maker over the IP behind the way the companies make … Continue reading
Posted in Legal Developments, Litigation, Multi-user Online Environments, Virtual Currency, Virtual Items / Virtual Goods, Virtual Stuff..., Virtual Worlds
Tagged Amaretto, Blizzard, CDA § 230, Diablo III, DMCA, economics, Farmville, irreparable harm, Justin Scheck, Ozimals, Second Life, virtual currency, virtual horses, virtual pets, virtual rabbits, virtual worlds, Wall Street Journal, World of Warcraft, Zynga
2 Comments
A Real “Virtual Currency” Emerges: Could BitCoins Threaten “Real” Currencies?
I’ve talked fairly often on this blog about the trade of virtual goods and virtual currencies in virtual worlds such as Second Life or Facebook. While novel, neither of these elements are legally what they claim to be. With respect to virtual … Continue reading
Posted in Multi-user Online Environments, Virtual Currency, Virtual Items / Virtual Goods, Virtual Worlds
Tagged Bitcoin, currency, Dollars, economics, electronic, electronic wallet, Facebook Credits, inflation, IRS bank, legal, legitimate, Lindens, macroeconomics, merchants, mining, money, money laundering, Planet Money, Ponzi scheme, privacy, regulation, revenue, sales tax, secrecy, security, tax, tax evasion, virtual currency, WoW gold
2 Comments
UPDATE: Tools Available to Counter zF Redzone Alt Detection Tool
A few months ago, I wrote about a highly controversial program that was showing up in Sims all over Second Life called zF RedZone. This piece of software was allegedly designed to help sim owners detect alts (secondary characters) for … Continue reading
RedZone, Second Life IP Address Detection Tool, Runs Afoul of New SL Policy, EU Data Privacy Law
In an odd turn of events that is all too common online these days, an ingenious system created for Second Life land holders to reduce incidents of harassment and abuse by malicious griefers has itself turned out to be a … Continue reading
Posted in Privacy, Regulation and Rule-making, Virtual Land, Virtual Worlds
Tagged alts, avatar, cyberstalking, data privacy, EU, griefers, harassment, IP address, privacy, RedZone, Second Life, stalking
34 Comments
