Second Life Spawns Legal Battle

Virtual goods lead to real litigation.

Maybe someone should set up a Second Life law office. The popular online virtual world has given rise to several real-world legal battles. A woman who runs a business selling virtual rabbits cheaply and makes the bulk of her money selling the food they need to stay alive is suing a woman who she says copied her business model for horses. Another case pits a virtual-horse-company owner against a former employee who started his own horse business. The players took their cases to court after the company that runs Second Life refused to intervene. "We no longer have a horse in that race or a bunny in that pot," said a lawyer for the company.