The Indiana Law Journal & The Indiana Law Journal Supplement - http://www.indianalawjournal.org
On Virtual Worlds: Copyright and Contract Law at the Dawn of the Virtual Age
http://www.indianalawjournal.org/articles/13/1/On-Virtual-Worlds-Copyright-and-Contract-Law-at-the-Dawn-of-the-Virtual-Age/Page1.html
Erez Reuveni
Law Clerk, Hon. Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, 2006–2007; J.D., 2006, Boston University School of Law; B.A., 2002, Brandeis University.  
By Erez Reuveni
Published on 10/3/2007
 

In this article, the author examines the use of copyright law on the internet – specifically in "virtual worlds" such as those in online games such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest. These games have hundreds of thousands of players world-wide, and many players "create" virtual goods, artwork, and literary pieces while in the "world" of the games.

The author argues that because of the huge economies of these popular games, courts will very soon have to address the application of copyright law to the things that players create while in the virtual environments. The author ultimately concludes that existing copyright law must be modified in order to protect more fully the interests both of the game creators and of the game players.