Virtual theft - just too weird !

[daveza]

http://www.iol.co.za/general/news/newsprint.php?art_id=vn20081022055545748C637990&sf=

Teens punished for virtual theft

Amsterdam - A Dutch court has convicted two youths of theft for stealing virtual items in a computer game and sentenced them to community service.

Only a handful of such cases have been heard in the world, and they have reached varying conclusions about the legal status of "virtual goods".

The Leeuwarden district court says the culprits, 15 and 14 years old, coerced a 13-year-old boy into transferring a virtual amulet and a virtual mask from the online adventure game RuneScape to their game accounts. "These virtual goods are goods (under Dutch law), so this is theft," the court said yesterday in its ruling.

The 15-year-old was sentenced to 200 hours of service and the 14-year-old to 160 hours. - Sapa-AP

What can I say - the lawmakers must be above the dope cafe.

 

[LazyLion]

This was not in-game fictional role-playing. There was no difference in motive between the theft of a corporeal item or a non-corporeal item.

 

[Telkomisaloser]

Errr... Their virtual selves should have been punished as well

 

[milomak]

people derive utility/value from virtual world stuff. and they will suffer distress as if a real object had been stolen. so why not punish those who steal virtual stuff?

 

[daveza]

Hmmm... do we then have jail terms for virtual slaughter ?

 

[Arthur]

Quite right, in my view. The perps used real-world force or threat of force to gain a value/good from another real person. It matters not a jot that the values were virtual - the wrongfulness is in the method they used to coerce a value from the victim. The same would apply of someone threatened you with force to give up your bank account PIN, even if they never used it to actually steal any money. Very simple principle, really.

Daveza: Virtual slaughter = no crime committed, hence no sanction.

 

[daveza]

I must disagree.

Whether they used coercion on-line or face to face isn't clear, but they were not charged with extortion but theft.

Theft of a virtual non-existant item. Iow they stole something that doesn't and never did exist.

I don't know the game but let's say they could restore a save-game to a point prior to the ' theft '. Would that mean the 'crime' never happened ?!

 

[Lycanthrope]

Hmmm... do we then have jail terms for virtual slaughter ?

Hehe... Warhammer

 

[Debbie]

What about virtual rape?

 

[lilGr]

I'm gonna throw my copy of Deer Hunter away , Maybe I'll get charged for making virtual biltong

 

[TheHiveMind]

lol this kid needs to learn that thats how runescape is played.. You cannot last an hour in that game without someone stabbing you in the back or trying to screw you over for your items. It never ends.

 

[Arthur]

Hmmm... do we then have jail terms for virtual slaughter ?

Yes, it's happening!

Take a look at this:

Japanese woman arrested after 'murdering' virtual husband in online computer game

A Japanese woman who murdered her virtual husband after the couple got divorced in an online computer game has been arrested and faces a possible jail sentence