The Associated Press reports that Japanese researchers are hard at work on new ways for users to interact with virtual worlds such as Second Life. Some of these raise the possibility of long-distance assault and battery claims. One technology involves a user moving across a large mat with specially coded patterns on it. As the [...]
A recent tragic death that was allegedly sparked by a series of MySpace messages from a phony account suggests the possible application of a neglected tort called “Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress” to virtual worlds. While MySpace isn’t really a virtual world, the connections there (between people using pseudoanonymous identities) mirror virtual world activity, and [...]
November 20, 2007 marks a Day of Remembrance to memorialize those who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held each November to honor Rita Hester, whose 1998 murder sparked the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. As part of the Day [...]
The Harvard Extension School is running a course focused on virtual law with a Second Life component. Rebecca Nesson (‘Rebecca Berkman’ in Second Life) is teaching the class. The lectures, which look fascinating, are available to at-large participants on Berkman Island (SLURL). You can attend the lectures in Second Life on Monday evenings from 8:00-10:00pm [...]
