Guest Post: Virtual Reality as an Agent of Legal Change

10 04 2018

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law

Guest post by Gilad Yadin

april 9, 2018

When I began studying the legal implications of virtual reality technology, seeing or using an actual virtual reality system required access to a research laboratory or a specialized training facility; virtual reality was something most people associated with science fiction, it seemed futuristic and far-fetched. A few years ago, Facebook got very publicly into virtual reality and suddenly everyone was talking about affordable, connected, social virtual reality environments. These days, roughly $400 worth of virtual reality hardware allows anyone to interact with social contacts, through expressive avatars, in a three-dimensional spatial environment. The surging virtual reality market is estimated to reach $40 billion by 2020. Cyberspace is changing in ways that can no longer be ignored.

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Intellectual Property in the World of eSports

4 04 2018

IP Watchdog

Roman Brtka
April 2, 2018

eSports is an exciting new area — not only in the sporting industry but in legal terms. There are various key players such as eGamers, game publishers, and organizers of eSports events, who are facing the challenge of sufficiently protecting their rights. Organizers need to ensure that they obtain all necessary usage rights from the game publishers and the participating eGamers, and these parties need to be aware of their possible ancillary copyrights and should take appropriate precautionary measures to protect them.

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The content in this post was found at https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2018/04/02/intellectual-property-esports/id=95245/

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The Intersection of Fashion, Virtual Reality and the Law

1 01 2018

Virtual reality and augmented reality are catching on, and the fashion industry has taken notice. Many of today’s fashion brands are seeing their work being used in this disruptive technology. But, this has caused trademark issues for both fashion companies that want to protect their brands and fashion technology companies that want to bring those brands into the virtual reality world. Moira Lion and Jeff Greene, with the Intellectual Property Group at Fenwick & West, recently sat down with IPWatchdog to discuss how to approach VR innovations as they develop brand protection.

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The content in this post was found at http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2017/08/16/fashion-virtual-reality-law/id=86867/ and was not authored by the moderators of freeforafee.com. Clicking the title link will take you to the source of the post.



Nothing artificial about this intelligence: AI meets IP

12 10 2017

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a plot point in futuristic sci-fi novels and films. In many aspects of our lives, machines are increasingly performing tasks previously handled by human intelligence. The current and potential applications of AI span a breadth of industries… Whether it’s patent search, online advertising or aviation, AI helps by acting as a multiplier for human function and creativity. As humans continue to innovate, producing an overwhelming amount of work which translates into an incredible amount of data, AI will be the key to decoding and uncovering necessary information.

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The content in this post was found at http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2017/10/07/nothing-artificial-intelligence-ai-meets-ip/id=88517/ and was not authored by the moderators of freeforafee.com. Clicking the title link will take you to the source of the post.



Copyright Suit Over Second Life Terraforming Survives Summary Judgment, Then Settles — FireSabre v. Linden

27 01 2014

What happens when a virtual world designer sues for “unauthorized” use of a virtual “island?” In late September, a New York district court denied summary judgment and cleared the way for a full trial on a virtual world copyright infringement case. [Eric’s note: I’ve held onto this so long that the parties mooted the trial by apparently settling the case in mid-December].

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Case Citation: FireSabre Consulting, LLC v. Linden Research, Inc., No. 11-CV-4719 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 26, 2013)

The content in this post was found at http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2014/01/copyright-suit-over-second-life-terraforming-survives-summary-judgment-then-settles-firesabre-v-linden.htm and was not authored by the moderators of freeforafee.com. Clicking the title link will take you to the source of the post.



Federal Reserve: While bitcoins hold “promise,” we have no regulatory authority

19 11 2013
[ell: although not directly an IP issue, how money works in/from virtual worlds has implications for IP in virtual worlds]
On Monday afternoon, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hear testimony from various government officials, academics, and Bitcoin proponents to discuss “virtual currencies.” As the committee meets, the current exchange rate of bitcoins to dollars is skyrocketing, breaking $600 per bitcoin. (In February 2013, it was around $30 per bitcoin.)

In their written testimonies released prior to the hearing, various government officials detailed their attitude and policies toward Bitcoin in particular. They noted that while such virtual currencies may be “legitimate,” they pose potential issues for law enforcement. Peter Kadzik, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, wrote in his letter to the committee that the FBI has “founded and chairs the Virtual Currency Emerging Threats Working Group.”

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The content in this post was found at http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/11/federal-reserve-while-bitcoins-hold-promise-we-have-no-regulatory-authority/ and was not authored by the moderators of freeforafee.com. Clicking the title link will take you to the source of the post.



Virtual (SuperPoke!) Pet Owners Must Arbitrate Their Claims Against Google and Slide — Abreu v. Slide

29 08 2012

[Post by Venkat Balasubramani]

Abreu v. Slide, Inc., 12 0042 WHA (N.D. Cal.; July 12, 2012)

This is a motion to compel arbitration filed by Google and Slide, the developer of SuperPoke! Pets. As mentioned by Eric in this initial post about the case, SuperPoke! is a game developed by Slide, which was later bought by Google. The game allowed you to care for “virtual pets” and earn coins. You could use these coins to customize the environment for your virtual pets. You could also buy virtual currency which you could use to purchase certain premium items. Users apparently bought a bunch ($6MM worth, according to an earlier filing by Google) of virtual currency before Google ultimately shut the game down. Users sued, alleging that termination of SuperPoke! Pets by Google and Slide violated California consumer protection laws and California common law. Defendants moved to dismiss, or in the alternative to force the consumer-plaintiffs to arbitrate their claims.

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The content in this post was found at http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2012/08/judge_alsup_sen.htm and was not authored by the moderators of freeforafee.com. Clicking the title link will take you to the source of the post.



New Essay on 47 USC 230(c)(2)

31 05 2012

By Eric Goldman

I have posted a new essay, Online User Account Termination and 47 U.S.C. §230(c)(2), to SSRN. I wrote this essay as a contribution to a virtual world symposium at UC Irvine, and it will be published in the UC Irvine Law Review.

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Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Withdraws License to Virtual Frank Lloyd Wright Museum in Second Life — Then Sends Cease-and-Desist

13 03 2011

Wagner James Au
December 3, 2010

New world notes

Sad news for architecture lovers in Second Life: The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum in Second Life, a non-commercial, education-oriented installation which operated under a licensing agreement from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (established by the great builder himself), is disappearing from the metaverse this Sunday. Why? Because according to Rowan Derryth, a Board member of Virtual Museums Inc. (which runs the site), the Foundation let the agreement expire, then sent a cease-and-desist to the group.

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Online Game Network Isn’t Company Town–Estavillo v. Sony

1 10 2009

By Eric Goldman

Estavillo v. Sony Computer Entertainment America, 2009 WL 3072887 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 22, 2009)

Sony’s PS3 online network isn’t a company town or otherwise a state actor subject to First Amendment obligations. As a result, Judge Whyte of the Northern District of California dismissed pro se Estavillo’s First Amendment challenge against Sony for kicking him off its network.

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The content in this post was found at http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2009/10/online_game_net.htm and was not authored by the moderators of freeforafee.com. Clicking the title link will take you to the source of the post.