Intellectual Property Law

Second Life: Internet Manna or Mishigas

Virtual Law (and Crime) in Virtual World
Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) and Avatar EdMarkey (D-SL?) alter conducted hearings in Washington DC and Second Life for the House Subcommitee on Telecommunications and the Internet entitled "Online Virtual Worlds:Applications and Avatars in a User-Generated Medium." The Second Life News Network (SLNN) reported that Philip Linden, Glitteractica Cookie, Larry Pixel and Colin Parris were "witnesses."
A US government staff writer puts a less whimsical but alarmingly "perky" spin on the event in her coverage:
Avatars Listen to Experts Describe Future of Communication

The US government staff writer attributes Linden Lab spokesperson as asserting that Second Life fulfills the internet promise, freeing us from the "flat and isolated two-dimensional world of the World Wide Web."
The numbers:
6 million registered Second Life users.
from 100 countries
70% of users are from outside US
50,000 to 60,000 on line/in world at any one time
900,000 have been "in world" in past 30 days

According to the SLNN, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) expressed concerns over recent news reports of the use of Second Life by terrorists and advocated censorship.
And both Rep. Markey and his avatar noted policy issues such as consumer protection, personal privacy, banking, gambling and child protection.
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So this is the Internet Promised Land?

Full post as published by Idea Lawyer Blog on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).