Virtual World News: Taser Sues Linden:
Taser International has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Linden Lab, reports Bloomberg, claiming the publisher is illegitimately selling virtual goods based on the Taser stun guns. the Second Life online virtual world creator over claims it sells unauthorized virtual versions of its stun guns.
Trademark Blog Virtual
Michael Carrier and Greg Lastowka: “Against Cyberproperty”
Ever since cyberproperty burst onto the legal scene a decade ago, courts and scholars have assumed that it is inevitable. This Article shows that it is not. Scholars have examined one element of the link between cyberproperty and property in asking whether cyberspace is the correct
Sun-Sentinel.com: “Video Game Fan Asks Court To Ban Sloth And Greed From ‘World of Warcraft‘:
Antonio Hernandez plays World of Warcraft. It’s the most popular online role-playing game in the world, with more than 10 million subscribers paying to create characters who go on quests, kill monsters and earn “virtual gold” in fantastical
News.com: Tech Titans Seek Virtual World Interoperability
“Unfortunately for those who like that notion of interoperability, it’s not going to be happening just yet. But a group of representatives from some of the biggest and most powerful technology companies on earth–including IBM, Cisco Systems, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Google and Sony, as well as from leading
Reuters: “SL Business Sues For Copyright Infringement”
“Second Life entrepreneur Kevin Alderman filed a copyright infringement lawsuit on Tuesday against Second Life resident Volkov Catteneo, and Alderman’s lawyer said he plans to subpoena Linden Lab to force it to disclose Catteneo’s real-world identity.”
Reuters: “Protecting Real Brand Names in a Virtual World” (quoting me).
First Life bills itself as a 3D Analog World. It makes ambitious claims about the users’ ability to ‘work, reproduce and perish.’ There does not seem to be a terms of service agreement, suggesting that users would have to rely upon the court system for intellectual property protection, a distinct disadvantage compared to, for example,
Law.com: IP’S Brave New World – Discussion of SecondLife’s IP policy and attempts at dispute resolution.
Slashdot: “EBay Delisting All Auctions For Virtual Property.” (“Given the nebulous nature of ownership in online games, eBay has decided the prudent decision is to remove the possibility for players to sell what might be the IP
Stranger than fiction: the transcript of Judge Posner’s talk in SecondLife in which he fileds questions from racoons (above, far left) and is menaced by a large box, via New World Notes. Of particular interest are part III on fair use, and part IV on IP rights in online worlds.
Judge Richard Posner will be discussing his latest book, on the Constitution, in avatar form, in Second Life, on December 7. Odd, SL requests that you reserve a seat (as I would have thought that an infinite number of avatars could attend a lecture on the head of a pin). Information on free membership to