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[Post by Venkat Balasubramani]

Abreu v. Slide, Inc., 12 0042 WHA (N.D. Cal.; July 12, 2012)

This is a motion to compel arbitration filed by Google and Slide, the developer of SuperPoke! Pets. As mentioned by Eric in this initial post about the case, SuperPoke! is a game developed by Slide, which was later bought by Google. The game allowed you to care for “virtual pets” and earn coins. You could use these coins to customize the environment for your virtual pets. You could also buy virtual currency which you could use to purchase certain premium items. Users apparently bought a bunch ($6MM worth, according to an earlier filing by Google) of virtual currency before Google ultimately shut the game down. Users sued, alleging that termination of SuperPoke! Pets by Google and Slide violated California consumer protection laws and California common law. Defendants moved to dismiss, or in the alternative to force the consumer-plaintiffs to arbitrate their claims.

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By Eric Goldman

I have posted a new essay, Online User Account Termination and 47 U.S.C. §230(c)(2), to SSRN. I wrote this essay as a contribution to a virtual world symposium at UC Irvine, and it will be published in the UC Irvine Law Review.

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Wagner James Au
December 3, 2010

New world notes

Sad news for architecture lovers in Second Life: The Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum in Second Life, a non-commercial, education-oriented installation which operated under a licensing agreement from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (established by the great builder himself), is disappearing from the metaverse this Sunday. Why? Because according to Rowan Derryth, a Board member of Virtual Museums Inc. (which runs the site), the Foundation let the agreement expire, then sent a cease-and-desist to the group.

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By Eric Goldman

Estavillo v. Sony Computer Entertainment America, 2009 WL 3072887 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 22, 2009)

Sony’s PS3 online network isn’t a company town or otherwise a state actor subject to First Amendment obligations. As a result, Judge Whyte of the Northern District of California dismissed pro se Estavillo’s First Amendment challenge against Sony for kicking him off its network.

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Virtual World News: Taser Sues Linden:

Taser International has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Linden Lab, reports Bloomberg, claiming the publisher is illegitimately selling virtual goods based on the Taser stun guns. the Second Life online virtual world creator over claims it sells unauthorized virtual versions of its stun guns.

Trademark Blog Virtual World archives here.

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