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118 Comments
- Ninjab3ar, on 10/11/2007, -6/+63"The only people who should be dealing with this dispute are those running the game"
Basically the guy spent $8000 on virtual land, and linden labs (the owners of the game) took it away from him. The guy is just suing the company for the $8000 he wasn't refunded when they took it away.
However, bloggers love to make MMORPG related articles sound more serious than they really are by wording them in such a way. Like saying that this "will be the first case over virtual land in a MMORPG to go to court in the US" and using legal terms like "restitution" in order to describe what the plaintiff is wanting. The author also uses speculation that again makes this issue sound more serious, like "Some believe that the outcome of the case could affect how the ownership of virtual property is treated in relation to games like Second Life and World of Warcraft".
Articles like this can be annoying though, just like the one where a few second life players "bombed" different areas of the game in protest to a decision made by the game's owners..... - a007proxy, on 10/11/2007, -6/+62I really don't get the big deal with second life. I understand you can actually make money and stuff, and I did try it out once. But what I came to discover was that most of the people in second life were either perverts or people who failed at real life.
- fiorenza, on 10/11/2007, -10/+56Did you read the story? An $8000 virtual land transaction was involved. Linden Labs sells land for real money, and this guy exposed a flaw in their system and managed to buy the land for very little. I don't think this gives gamers a bad rap at all.
- DarkGrim, on 10/11/2007, -1/+28Be funny if the creators claim Eminent Domain - "They needed the land for a new Mall!"
- robbh66, on 10/11/2007, -3/+28This guy got caught cheating and he lost his money. It's no different with other MMOs- you get caught cheating in WOW (or any other game for that matter) and you lose the remainder of your subscription value- it's part of the rules.
This guy was just stupid enough to cheat involving that amount of money. - Puppetx, on 10/11/2007, -2/+23Second Life is defiantly MMO, but an RPG?
I would argue that Second Life isn't really a game at all. - Bishoco, on 10/11/2007, -4/+25Why is the news out of Second Life way more interesting than Second Life itself?
- robbh66, on 10/11/2007, -4/+23"doesnt matter, if they offer you a service (hosting land in their game) and you pay for that service, they can't take it away from you"
You're obviously naive to the way the world works.
Show me a law in any country that says this. - ChrisWickenscom, on 10/11/2007, -4/+19The only reason I even stayed for a week was the ability to design clothing and customize your character and using the scripting language. Most of it is for SURE filled with perv's and idiots.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -9/+24I'm in ur gamez stealin ur imaginary landz
- Tiak, on 10/11/2007, -5/+19Admenium to my previous comment: According to wired, he only payed $300.00 for this land, which was worth $1,000.00... So naturally he demands $8,000.00.... Basically he's just some douche who abused a problem in their system and now wants to sue for what should be the expected result of this abuse, claiming that it has harmed him... Imagine going to an auction hall, paying a guy unloading things off a truck 20 dollars for something, then, when the people holding the auction come after you, suing them for it....
Wired article:
http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2006/05/70909 - barc0001, on 10/11/2007, -4/+17Oh, this is too easy. This guy admits he gamed the system by using non-published URLs to get the land before anyone else could. Here's what Linden Labs should do. Settle this lawsuit in the guy's favor, getting in the public record his exact testimony of HOW he did this. Then the week after that's all over, charge him with criminal computer trespass, wire fraud, and anything else they can think of, using his own testimony at the civil trial as the impetus for the criminal charges.
Reminds me of the old urban legend about the guy who buys a whack of expensive cigars, insures them, and then smokes them and claims they were lost to fire. Went back and forth with the insurance company, they finally settle, pay him, and then charge him with arson. - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -4/+17The URL was publicly available. Just because there was no posted link to it doesn't mean it was a restricted URL. It if was restricted, the user should get a 403 Forbidden.
The fact that it was accessible suggests that it potentially could have been picked up by a search engine.
LL screwed up. The transaction is complete and the sale is final. They have no case.
IANAL - violentvinyl, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11@a007proxy (#7010091)
A perverts money is green too, and there's plenty of people willing to take it. - MrKC, on 10/11/2007, -3/+14Second Life is nothing more that a chat room with cartoon characters.
- Tiak, on 10/11/2007, -4/+15@fiorenza
The article makes no mention of a $8000 transaction, only that this guy is demanding $8,000 for it, his estimate of the worth and damages... It is unlikely he would pay $8,000 in an auction in which he was the only bidder.... - grevvvvvv, on 10/11/2007, -7/+18I'm sorry, but this is just ***** retarded.
- Kinjiru, on 10/11/2007, -3/+13Once again the US economy is Sue Everyone.. so the lawyers make $$$$$$
As for the company taking it away.. by their own contractual wording they are in the wrong. - kaiser44, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10sad, I guess I will have to get a virtual lawyer.
I hate us. - sgglynn, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10courtroom over second life.... awesome..... When 98% of all judges in this country have NO idea about intellectual property and they are going to start making decisions about
- violentvinyl, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10@Dakk (#7015822) said: "By reading responses here:
"do some truly amazing things" equals being a "perv or reject""
I always take Digg comments to heart too. I haven't looked back since I accepted Chuck Norris as my overlord in Soviet Russia on a plane FTW. EVER. [PIC] - lavoie0ca, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9they should pay him in virtual money.
- caspianv2399, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9I agree with Fiorenza. The guy just managed to find a flaw in the land auction and took advantage of it. Actually, I'm surprised the Lindens repossessed the land without returning his transaction fee. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Just like anything else..there's always loopholes. Second Life is no different.
- AustinMeoang, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9http://www.getafirstlife.com
- Jovinian, on 10/11/2007, -3/+9"by their own contractual wording they are in the wrong"
'2.6 Linden Lab has the right at any time for any reason or no reason to suspend or terminate your Account, terminate this Agreement, and/or refuse any and all current or future use of the Service without notice or liability to you. In the event that Linden Lab suspends or terminates your Account or this Agreement, you understand and agree that you shall receive no refund'
Which bit of the wording were you reading? - Hobofuzz, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7@KarmaPoIice
Since when was having furry sex considered an amazing thing? - pyro789x, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8the player "managed to take advantage of" a mistake, and therefore he legally owns this? That's *****. What if I "managed to take advantage of" your mistake of leaving your door open at night, so I came in and took all your things, do they legally belong to me now? What if I "managed to take advantage of" your mistake of not marking the price on one of your items at a garage sale, can I take it and state that I "bought it" for the price of $0?
- DMDekoth, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8Kind of stupid, but not as bad as the other cases, I guess. But I'm not touching Second Life with a ten foot pole now. ***** you do in there has consequences in real life. Better not virtual bully or rape someone, you'll have the police knocking on your First Life door. Kind of makes you ask why people would go to First Life to deal with something that happens in Second Life.
Love how they threw in World of Warcraft just for kicks. There's no way this will effect WoW at all, selling stuff for real money is illegal on WoW. - ScottoGato, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6Oh, sounds like Manifest Destiny lives online as well.
- MarrowMan, on 10/11/2007, -7/+12I tried second life once for a few hours, and got incredibly bored with how lame it was! It wasn't fun at all and the graphics look like they came from 1993.
- zephc, on 10/11/2007, -4/+9If you have an itch for architectural design, it can be a fun way to scratch it.
- drobati, on 10/11/2007, -11/+16Reading the article it appears the user abused the auctioning system. He doesn't deserve to own the land. I hope the ***** loses the case.
- Dakk, on 10/11/2007, -7/+12By reading responses here:
"do some truly amazing things" equals being a "perv or reject" - violentvinyl, on 10/11/2007, -2/+7@bishoco (#7015708)
You're absolutely right, but that speaks more about the Second Life platform than you think. Its being used as a proving ground for quite a few ventures because of how open ended it is. Everything from virtual classrooms to presidential campaigns, and YES, there's a technology called teledildonics. - gamersedge, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4Heh, funny how this ad was running
http://flickr.com/photos/chilkotardis/530426928/ - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+5He acquired the land via a loophole prior to the legal auctions start. That loophole MAY be Linden Labs fault, but commandeering the land is within their right as it took place illegally. They should, however, refund his purchase price and fix the loophole.
done is done.. virtual land lol!! - ApeInago, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4its real mony, thats what the court case is about.
- MxM111, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4@nickgravelyn
Even according to their own TOS, even though the game is theirs, the user created content is not theirs, but users'. And as such they can't shut it down and take users' stuff - it does not belong to them. - DeathJux, on 10/11/2007, -9/+13Second life is a haven for furries, pedophiles, and every other manner of sexual miscreant. It is a frightening land.
- ApeInago, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3virutal, imaginary, and real. are all diffrent things.
you can imagine that virtual land is real, but virtual land itself is not imaginary because it does exist. - hackajar, on 10/11/2007, -4/+7If a banking web site allows me to look at other peoples transactions, though an EXPLOITED fault, and move their money into my account, do you think this is legal? What if it was your account I took the money from?
- vertinox, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3@MxM111
What is the difference between buying virtual land and if you buy $300 worth of shares in any public company?
I mean, these days they are both simply bits of data on a far off computer... And a company cannot simply say "Oh those shares you bought? Ours now! No refund!"
Although these protections are afforded by federal SEC regulations (and sometimes dubious if you invest in a fly by night company), it is simply the same concept because the stock market is really nothing more than virtual real estate of a non-existant coporate being.
When you buy shares... It isn't like buying part of the companies building or owning their employees... It is a simple non-tangible of their investments.
This could equate to actually real money if their stock value is high in value or nothing at all if everyone else divests themselves of said company. - PainCompliance, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3“What God Hath Wrought.”
S. Morse - phlogiston99, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3"I WANT MY 2 DOLLAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!"
- wwwdot1jesdotus, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5I think the case should be settled in a virtual court, with a virtual jury and a virtual judge, in "Second Life". They could sell tickets to see the trial and split the proceeds.
- inactive, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3The auction was enabled.
Some dev was lazy and decided to put up the auction ahead of time so all he had to do later on was post the link. The fact that the auction was enabled, took his money, and gave him the land in game means that they signed the contract.. whether it was an automated process or not.
Nobody broke into anything, it was hidden in plain sight. This is a case of finders' keepers'. - missingnoh4x, on 10/11/2007, -3/+6What the hell does anyone see in Second Life anyway? It's like first life, only they made it even more boring. And why does such an insignifigant chatroom with 3d avatars keep making the news over the stupid things done by people who play it?
- violentvinyl, on 10/11/2007, -2/+5@brandonc204 (#7016567)
So are sports and console gaming, what's your point? If there's money to be made, there's people willing to fight for what they've earned (or feel they've earned). - kpsk, on 10/11/2007, -3/+6I defiantly agree.
- ryanspahn, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Nah this is publicity! Silly as it seems it should spread beyond the tech world news and possibly into mainstream. At least thats what they are hoping.
Remember when Spike Lee sued Spike TV for using his name. LOL ... publicity stunt -
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