Hands of Justice
The Lounge => General Gaming => Topic started by: Warcold on January 31, 2012, 08:16:53 PM
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Article in Dutch:
http://hans1903.waarmaarraar.nl/pages/re/64523/Diefstal_in_runescape_levert_taakstraf_op.html (http://hans1903.waarmaarraar.nl/pages/re/64523/Diefstal_in_runescape_levert_taakstraf_op.html)
Bottom line:
2 kids threatened another kid with a knife (so in real life) and made him give them some game items in the game Runescape.
The judge (and this went up to high court in the end) ruled that virtual game items are to be considered to have an economical value (because time and effort have been put into gaining these items [not in article, but heard this on tv]). Because of that, the above was considered theft and the boys were sentenced to community service.
If this ruling spirals further, shooting and destroying srsbsns space ships in EVE (that cost time and effort to get the ISK for) could be considered destruction of property and ransoming ships could be considered theft (let alone multi billion thefts that EVE has seen in corps, alliances and banks). True, there is no real life action in play, but it is essentially the same thing.
Curious where this will go... ::)
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har de har
then prepare to get EVE Ip blocked to your place of living ;)
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Hilarious if it did happen :D
So when you retraining for a dutch law degree saffy and setting up practice defending honourable spaceship exploders?
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Add a line or two to the EULA that no one reads anyway and voila.
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The interesting thing about EULA contracts is that they aren't really valid, consumer protection laws override them in most european countries i suspect. (can't negotiate away your rights so to speak)
However "ownership" of in game items are arguably property of the game operator and not the user.