[MUD-Dev] Real money and virtual worlds

[Ron Gabbard]

From: "Matt Mihaly" <the_logos at achaea.com>
> On Mon, 18 Nov 2002, Ron Gabbard wrote:

>> It's not unlike the federal government to use money and tax laws
>> to force entities, over which they would usually have no
>> authority, to do their will.  The establishment of efficient
>> market prices through online auctions for ingame items is just
>> the hook the federal government needs to make the case that
>> virtual items have real world value and the "winning" of such
>> items is taxable should they ever want to play that card.

> Hmm, interesting, but given that many terms of service specify
> that the items are strictly owned by the company providing the
> game service, would this still apply? It seems like it'd be the
> equivalent of the government taking control over the production of
> tvs just because some thieves stole some tvs, sold them, and
> didn't pay taxes on them.

> I'm not saying governments aren't asinine enough to do it, just
> that it seems as if it might be more difficult than what you
> described, in the US at least. I'm certainly no lawyer though.

It's getting way too legal for me too.  However, I do remember cases
related to property (real estate) where property ownership has been
transferred because the landowner of an adjoining piece of property
maintained a portion of their neighbor's property over a period of
years.  Actual ownership of that portion of the land went to the
person who had been maintaining it even though the deed marked the
property line differently.  Are TOS's still TOS's if they are not
enforced?

Like I said, way too legal for me.

Ron


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