[MUD-Dev] BIZ: Who owns my sword?

[Ren Reynolds]

On 11 September 2003 05: Matt Mihaly wrote:

> Yes, they are a fiction, which is why an avatar doesn't own
> anything.  Legal entities own things, not fictional
> ones. Fictional ones only own things in a fictional world.

The difference between fiction and reality being what?

Money, law, the idea of a company... are all social constructions
that society aggress to and act on accordingly. I can't see a
fundamental reason why if a company can own something in a legal
sense, and avatar cannot.

The legal status of individuals is a very odd thing also - David
Bowie is someone who turned himself (well specific aspects of
identity) in to a corporate entity. The U.S. Rights of Publicity
(these are State rather than Federal laws btw) mean that almost
every aspect of what one recognises as an individual have associated
property rights which can be sold - there is a great academic paper
on how Tiger Woods could buy every public aspect of Michael Jordon
if Jordon went bankrupt.

Given all this, it is really not a big step to say that legally an
avatar does own things - and yes the outer edges of current law (and
this is real law not legal theory) are like a lost chapter from
Alice in Wonderland.

Ren
www.renreynolds.com
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