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The rocky legal landscape of virtual worlds, Part 1: Trademarks
Virtual worlds provide not only a new universe in which brave explorers stake their claims, but also a new legal landscape in which the colonists are often at odds with the natives from the "old world." How do real-world laws apply? How do traditional concepts of intellectual property - patents, copyrights, and trademarks - apply in a virtual world? Can virtual worlds contract around intellectual property rights by forcing users to license their intellectual property, or forego such claims altogether?
This article is the first in a series of three discussing these issues with respect to patents, trademarks and copyrights. Each article will address how intellectual property can be used in a virtual world, as well as some of the pitfalls and obstacles that get in the way when trying to enforce intellectual property rights in virtual worlds.
