Making the Case That Virtual Property Is a Bad Idea

pacergh writes "Many legal commentaries on virtual property argue that it should exist. Others argue why it can exist. None seem to explicitly spell out what virtual property will look like or how it will affect online worlds. Lost in the technology love-fest are the problems virtual property might bring. The Virtual Property Problem lays out a model for what virtual property might look like and then applies it to various scenarios. This highlights the problems of carving virtual property out of a game developer's rights in his creation. From the abstract: '"Virtual property" is a solution looking for a problem.' The article explains the 'failure of property rights to benefit the users, developers, and virtual resources of virtual worlds.'"

Comments

Virtual property is no bad idea.

[Hurricane78]

Because it *doesn't exist*!

There. I killed the whole discussion. ;)

Wife Thanks You All

[Stenchwarrior]

I was supposed to cancel WOW but I kept forgetting. This article reminded me and now my wife deeply appreciates the existence of /. (feel free to mod me OffTopic).

Re:IP

[Foobar of Borg]

What about "intellectual property" (an unusual choice of words given that most discussion of it these days seems to involve Hollywood movies or the audio output of the likes of Britney Spears).

Indeed. It's as bad as "South Park" being rated "for Mature Audiences"!