The past two decades have been marked by extreme technological advances.¦lt;br /> The internet has opened many doors in the way of business transactions,
availability of resources and research and most notably a new
communication ability and efficiency.  In 2003, Linden Research Inc.
launched Second Life which is one of the newest developments in the online
realm.  It is a virtual reality community offering all of the
opportunities, enjoyment and even disappointments that a person
experiences in real life.  Through ‘avators’, virtual characters created
by the real life members of the Second Life community, users can make, buy
and sell almost anything they wish from a ferrari to scripted t-shirts in
this virtual world.  One of the main features setting Second Life apart
from other online games and communities is its thriving economy and market
for the purchase and sale of virtual property.  Not only do members have
the ability to live in the community, they can set up businesses and own
the rights to anything they create (including their avators) in the
virtual world.  Where such rights are given to members of any group, a
method of protecting these rights must be established. Rights without
protection are illusionary.  With regard to this notion, many intellectual
property lawyers have been attracted to Second Life and have set up firms
to dispense legal advice to residents of the world and further to network
with potential new clientele.  However, just as rights in the real world
are difficult to ascertain and protect so come the same and possibly even
greater difficutlies in the digital realm.  The ability to protect the
rights Linden Lab has vested in the residents of Second Life seems to be
at the very best doubtful and the involvement of lawyers in the community
while likely helpful for informative and marketing purposes may be
problematic for practical and ethical reasons. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Ownership, Technology
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