In the first Virtually Policy podcast, Arno Lodder, professor of internet governance and regulation at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam talks to Ren Reynolds about the Dutch RuneScape trial.
This case, which made it to the Dutch Supreme Court, centred on the issue of whether or not virtual items can be stolen. The Court concluded that they could, and two defendants were convicted of theft. Ardo and Ren discuss the arguments examined by the Court and ask what implications this case hase for the virtual goods business model which now underpins much of the entertainment and social media economy. Further detailed analysis of the case by tVPN and others can be found via links below.
Podcast: Play in new window
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Guests
tVPN Links
- tVPN’s detailed coverage of the case including a translation of the full supreme court decision
- tVPN White Paper: Virtual Items and Public Policy
External Links
- Professor Arno Lodder’s home page
- Guest blog by Professor Lodder on TerraNova covering the earlier Habbo Hotel theft case: Why not qualify the taking away of virtual objects as theft?
Podcast music: “For the Horde” kindly provided by 100 Robots.
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