What’s Mine is Mine: Virtually Speaking
Last year, in what was thought to be the first real life law suite between two virtual characters, Stroker Serpentine (aka Kevin Alderman, pictured above) filed suite against an avatar named Volkov Catteneo, claiming that Catteneo copied and sold a product produced and marketed by Alderman’s company, Eros, in the online community Second Life. The case has prompted much debate on the subject on intellectual property rights within virtual worlds and could have far reaching implications for ownership rights everywhere online, web sites, digital music, even movies. And while the Eros case may be the first between two avatars, it’s certainly not the first over online property rights. In a law suit filed in Pennsylvania in May of 2006, Second Life resident Marc Bragg brought suite against Linden Lab, creator of Second Life, and CEO Philip Rosedale claiming the “breach of a virtual land auction contract, fraud, and violations of Pennsylvania trade practice and consumer protection laws.” With these examples as only the tip of the iceberg, it’s clear that the legal lines between online and offline worlds are rapidly disappearing into a digital haze.
In her 2008 SXSW Screenburn panel Human and Property Rights in Virtual Worlds, Susan Wu will delve into the complicated issue of online property rights and how digital goods are poised to shape the future of online experiences. She will also discuss how these concepts give rise to the larger issue of online human rights in virtual worlds. “SXSW is my favorite conference of the year,” she says. “It’s just a really cool mix of product oriented people: creative people who build stuff. These are the kinds of people I love to spend time with. Plus, it’s in Austin and Austin is a super fun town.”
On a side note, Kevin Alderman (mentioned above) will be joining Cory Silverberg at this year’s SXSW Interactive Festival in hosting a Core Conversation entitled Sexual Ethics, Interactivity and Virtual Worlds. For more info on all 2008 SXSW programming, see the Panels Page.