ninjas

events.xml

@@ -2,6 +2,40 @@
 <eventdefs>
 
 <!-- fall 2007 -->
+
+	<eventitem date="2007-09-25" time="1:30 PM" room="DC 1302" title="Virtual Reality, Real Law: The regulation of Property in Vidoe Games">
+	 <short>Susan Abramovitch</short>
+	 <abstract>
+	<p>
+	This talk is run by the School of Computer Science
+	</p>
+	<p>
+	How should virtual property created in games, such as weapons used in
+games like Mir 3 and real estate or clothing created or acquired in
+games like Second Life, be treated in law.  Although the videogaming
+industry continues to multiply in value, virtual property created in
+virtual worlds has not been formally recognized by any North American
+court or legislature.  A bridge has been taking shape from gaming's
+virtual economies to real world economies, for example, through
+unauthorized copying of designer clothes sold on Second Life for in-game
+cash, or real court damages awarded against deletion of player-earned
+swords in Mir 3.  The trading of virtual property is important to a
+large number of people and property rights in virtual property are
+currently being recognized by some foreign legal bodies.
+</p>
+<p>
+Susan Abramovitch will explain the legal considerations in determining
+how virtual property can or should be governed, and ways it can be
+legally similar to tangible property.  Virtual property can carry both
+physical and intellectual property rights.  Typically video game
+developers retain these rights via online agreements, but Ms.
+Abramovitch questions whether these rights are ultimately enforceable
+and will describe policy issues that may impact law makers in deciding
+how to treat virtual property under such agreements.
+</p>
+	 </abstract>
+	</eventitem>
+
 	<eventitem date="2007-10-2" time="4:30 PM" room="TBA" title="Putting the fun into Functional Languages and Useful Programming with OCaml/F#">
 	 <short>Brennan Taylor</short>
 	 <abstract>