There has been much buzz about Zynga’s attempt to patent virtual currency. As is often the case with patents, there is much hype, many misconceptions and little focus on the actual facts. Here are the facts. 1. Zynga does not have a patent on virtual currency. It has applied for…
In a very significant decision, the 9th circuit Court of Appeals ruled that software developers can legally prevent customers from owning the copies of software that they pay for. Instead, if the software license agreement is properly drafted, the software developer retains ownership in the copies they distribute and the…
Target’s recent launch of a program to sell gift cards redeemable for Facebook Credits or in the virtual world Poptropica towards either membership fees or the purchase of virtual currency further blurs the line (to the extent there still was one) between in-worldcurrency and real-world currency. Facebook and Zynga agreed earlier…
Venture Beat recently reported on the results of a virtual goods study that showed about 75% of online games users have bought virtual goods and that many users surveyed plan to spend more in the next 12 months. This survey is one more confirmation of the rapid growth of virtual…
Social gaming powerhouse Zynga has joined forces with 7-Eleven to begin selling items branded with its popular gaming titles in 7-Eleven stores throughout the US and Canada. The six week promotion will include more than 30 products, including Slurpees and Big Gulp drinks, all with redemption codes that will allow…
Nickelodeon has announced a virtual good platform for its Addicting Games site. According to Dave Williams, a Senior VP and GM, he sees virtual goods as a huge opportunity and by developing its own virtual goods platform, Nickelodeon minimizes the burden on developers to create their own platforms. This launch…
Linden Research Inc. and its CE Philip Rosedale have been named as defendants in a class action lawsuit relating to the ownership status of virtual property in Second Life, the popular virtual world in which users can realize significant gains from buying and selling virtual real estate (land and buildings),…
On April 8, 2010, Zynga sued Playerauctions.com for operating a website that provides an unauthorized “Secondary Market” for enabling Zynga game users to post and sell “Virtual Currency” and “Virtual Goods” allegedly in violation of Zynga’s Terms of Service. According to Zynga, its Terms of Service prohibits users from selling…
This article from Slate.com provides an interesting discussion regarding the applicability of virtual worlds and MMORPGs to economics research. One of the things the article points out is that research in the real world must handle inevitable data loss – making calculations like GDP the result of estimates and approximations…
Last Monday’s Washington Post article talking about making money by coding and selling Second Life products doesn’t provide any surprises for anyone familiar with virtual worlds. The most interesting thing about it was its placement – the front page. When articles about virtual worlds and gaming have historically been relegated…