SL LawspotBringing the law (library) to the virtual frontier

Kate FitzSL: Cat Galileo

Bell Library TowersInfo Island I

Bell Library TowersInfo Island I

Bell Library TowersInfo Island I

Lawspot Library on the webhttp://www.lawspotonline.com

Second Life Lawspot

Free legal resources Links to free legal

resources on the Web

Current topics – elections, Banned Book week, etc.)

Posters and displays

“Virtual law” Practice of law via

virtual worlds Law as it applies to

virtual worlds Self-governance in

Second Life

Lawspot’s links:free legal resources on the web

Primary law Thomas.loc.gov, findlaw.com, EUR-lex, etc.

Secondary sources 'Lectric law Library, Emory Law collection, Cornell

Wex, Washlaw WEBSelf-help resources

nolo.com, free forms sites,links to public law libraries around the country

Library law librarylaw.com (Mary Minow), confidentiality of

library records, copyright for libraries Law student resources

Law school rankings, SL resources for students

Virtual law at Lawspot: Practice of law in Second Life

Galileo Law Directory 69 lawyers and law firms 10 dispute resolution services 11 professional associations

Collection of SL resources Historical Terms of Service

Professional Groups SL Bar Association Virtual Law Association SL German Bar Association Abogados SL Avogados Paralegal Association

Virtual law at Lawspot: Legal issues affecting virtual worlds

Links to web reports and commentary on legal issues in virtual worlds Virtually Blind, Law of the Game, Terra Nova, more

Index of court cases involving virtual worlds Bragg v. Linden, Eros LLC v. Doe, Blizzard v. IGE,

and more

Bibliographies Law review articles, news reports, books

Resources for practice Second Life Terms of Service (history of changes)

Second Life as legal testing ground

Residents' stake in Second LifeIntellectual property rights reserved to residents

Sales of goods and services$L – US$ currency exchangeLand “ownership”*

Linden Lab's nonintervention policyNo centralized “zoning”Minimal regulation of content (“broadly offensive” standard)

No policing of transactions – caveat emptor

2007: Second Life in the courts and the news

Copyright disputes Eros, LLC v Doe Eros, LLC et al v Simon “copybot” controversy

Right of publicity Celebrity “look-alike” avatars

Trademark disputes Trademark infringement: easy, safe, widespread

Land disputes Bragg v Linden – settled out of court “Landbot” class action – rumored Land scam: same land (allegedly) sold to 5 different

buyers

Unauthorized use of SL trademarks…

2007: Second Life in the courts and the news

Gambling Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act

(probably) applies to Second Life Linden Lab bans gambling ads, then all gambling

Taxation of in-world transactions US government investigating taxation Tax in S Korea for major virtual businesses

Bank runs, exchange scandal and “ponzi schemes” Ginko bank collapse SL World Stock Exchange fraud

Contract law Enforcing agreements in a semi-anonymous (and

international) context

2007: Second Life in the courts and the news

Criminal law Financial fraud, identity theft, hacking (DarkLife theft) Belgian rape investigation Porn, money laundering, terrorism?

Rights and liberties on international stage -- mostrestrictive common denominator?

“Broadly offensive” standard of behavior -- ambiguous, different standards in different areas and cultures

Gambling -- prohibition based on U.S. law; Europeans claim unfair

Linden Lab response to government demands for info -- whose standards will they use?

Lawyers are taking notice of virtual worlds

2 new ABA committees

State of Play annual conference, organized by Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, New York Law School, Trinity University, and in 2007 Nanyang Technological University in Singapore

Law and business school courses: Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, Seattle University

Nova Southeastern University’s law library

Books, articles, blogs….

A major strength of virtual worlds is the ability to “meet” in real time with people in any geographic location.

with other librarians: advice, new scripts, sample equipment

with other SL communities (patron base!)

Benefits to libraries and librarians:Networking and collaboration

Librarian skills, transplantedSecond Life-specific skills

scripting, flying, buildingMeta-skills: learning “what works” in virtual worlds

conceptual framework of navigating, communicating, and providing services in SL – and other virtual worlds

Metaplace, Multiverse, VastPark, Google(?), “bespoke” (customized) worlds

Benefits to libraries and librarians:Early experience with new skill sets

“The project involves reconsidering everything we take for granted about what a library is and does.”

– Alliance Information Archipelago Annual Report, page 11

Exhibits, events more inviting than collections SL's strength is bringing people together, not

collecting information sources

New types of exhibits What does SL enable that “real world” or traditional

web cannot?

Adjusting expectations:SL Library is not 3-D version of brick & mortar

Second Life business is “just like a real world business in the sense that to succeed, you must have a plan, be committed, have the talent, the time and the energy...”

“[Businesses] have to study the community and figure out how to fit in. Those that do that will not be scorned.”

Daniel Terdiman Author,“The Entrepreneur’s

Guide to Second Life”

Take it seriously:Treat like a new branch in the “real world”

Interested?

Groups for all interests (in-world and out) Health and wellness Tech groups and businesses Business, corporate, and entrepreneurial groups Government agencies Academic institutions of all types Arts -- museums, music, video/machinima Political, charitable, special interest groups Teen grid: Eye4You library

Being there Becoming a Second Life native

Beyond Info Archipelago:

Read a few blogs-Second Life Herald -Second Life Inside-Second Life Reader -many, many more

“Best of Second Life” Landmark of the Dayhttp://thebestofsecondlife.blogspot.com

Metaversed “Things to Do” grouphttp://metaversed.com/things/join

Events -http://secondlife.com/events-http://www.secondlifeinsider.com /category/events/

Stop by the law library!

Second Life:“Cat Galileo”Bell Library (central tower)Info Island I (SE corner)

Kate FitzSacramento County Public Law Library kfitz@saclaw.org

Presentation notes and further reading at:www.lawspotonline.com

Thank you!