Eugene Volokh, UCLA’s Gary T. Schwartz Professor of Law, just posted some interesting commentary concerning a recent Dutch court conviction of two youths for stealing virtual items in Runescape. Under Dutch law, the virtual goods are considered goods, so their theft constitutes a criminal act. However, the goods were not “virtually stolen.” Instead, the two boys committed physical violence against a classmate who eventually transferred his items to the attackers.
I would recommend heading over to The Volokh Conspiracy and reading Prof. Volokh’s comments concerning the difference between “virtual theft” and “real-world theft of virtual goods.” The difference between the two is significant and worth considering. As virtual worlds tend to more realistically parallel real-life, it is not improbable to believe that individuals will attempt to enforce virtual crimes in real courts. I agree that the law should not prohibit virtual crimes; however, I’m not sure what games Prof. Volokh has seen that feature virtual rape.
[via The Volokh Conspiracy]
