Intrinsitivity

I find it very, how shall I say, unsettling that (1) someone can argue over rights to certain bit and pixel configurations and (2) can be taken seriously by a judge. We unfortunately have to adjust to this way of thinking, however, and clarify intellectual property rights in cyberspace, because we will see more and more intellectual property lawsuits as time goes on.

Second Life "land" dispute moves offline to federal courtroom

A virtual land dispute in Second Life will be resolved in federal court after a judge’s ruling. A lawsuit filed in May of 2006 by Pennsylvania attorney Marc Bragg accused Linden Lab and its CEO Philip Rosedale of wrongfully seizing his virtual land and unilaterally shutting down his Second Life account—intellectual property that Bragg says is worth thousands of (real-life) dollars. Linden Lab filed two motions to dismiss the suit, arguing that Bragg came into possession of his land wrongfully, but the Pennsylvania judge denied those motions.