We have touched on the idea that EULAs might be subject to challenges in other parts of the world because of the ways in which they restrict consumers’ rights. Not an online game, but European consumer groups are objecting to the iTunes EULA - some of the arguments are about the DRM system, but others [...]
Privacy, Identity, Community
Weds. Jan. 31 Identity/ Community
Tracy Spaight, Who Killed Miss Norway, in Balkin & Noveck pp189-197
Beth Simone Noveck, Democracy — The Video Game, in Balkin & Noveck pp 257-282
Nick Yee, The Labor of Fun: How Video Games Blur the Boundaries of Work and Play, 1 Games and Culture 68-71 (2006)
Bruckman, Amy. [...]
The EU’s European Court of Justice said today that an automobile and a scale model of an automobile were not similar products, so that affixing an Opel logo to a scale model of an Opel car would not violate Opel’s trademark rights in respect of cars. Under the EU’s Trademark directive affixing a trademarked logo [...]
Slashdot reports,
“Silicon Valley gossip rag Valleywag is carrying a story about Second Life being a new spin on the old pyramid scheme.
The article, which consists mostly of selections from the report of financial consultant Randolph Harrison, suggests that not only are most people deceived about the amount of money they can make in Second Life, [...]
I. What kind of law that might apply IN-game cannot be trumped by a EULA? A. Can you be forced to consent to searches of your hard drive? B. What limits apply given that these are standard form contracts, not freely bargained-for 1. Note that the answer differs in the [...]
More news from Raph:
[T]he gold farmer and RMT companies in Korea, such as ItemBay and Item PlayForum, have formed an industry association in order to have more leverage with the Korean government, given its recent moves towards regulating digital asset trading. This means, I think, that they beat the actual game companies to it. [...]
The online game bandwagon has attracted large entertainment providers who are focusing their energies on developing online games/virtual worlds for kids (get them young!). We have looked at Second Life’s Teen Life Community Standards which raise some issues about moderating content for younger folks. And the UK’s BBC plans a virtual children’s world without “financial [...]
Second Life news
For an enlightening glimpse into the characters (real and digital) making Second Life so different, check out the Second Life news center powered by Reuters. On the right side of the page, you’ll see up-to-the minute Linden dollar vs. U.S. dollar currency rates. Also, you can find a chart of the amount of [...]
Second Life: It’s not a game
This is an interesting little article by David Kirkpatrick of Fortune magazine on the business potential of Second Life.
