Dutch youths convicted of virtual theft
October 21, 2008(AP) -- A Dutch court has convicted two youths of theft for stealing virtual items in a computer game and sentenced them to community service.
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Coercion, Theft,... It's as if those Dutch have a different word for everything!
...and who initiated these proceedings?
The latter is a pain, particularly if you have a friend who you would like to give a helping hand to, but can't give decent items to for free, as the game actively prevents you from doing so.
DaveHowe: Runescape can't change the criminal law. Their contracts and representations don't change the fact that the objects have actual real-world value.
A common mistake is to reason that because the virtual amulet isn't a real amulet, it is isn't real at all. But my $10,000 bank account balance isn't ten thousand one dollar bills, however, it is just as real. What makes it real is that it has market value, has utility, and is scarce.