"BEIJING (Reuters) - A Shanghai online game player stabbed to death a competitor who sold his cyber-sword, the China Daily has said, creating a dilemma in China where no law exists for the ownership of virtual weapons.

Qiu Chengwei, 41, stabbed competitor Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest after he was told Zhu had sold his "dragon sabre", used in the popular online game, "Legend of Mir 3", the newspaper said a Shanghai court was told on Tuesday.

"Legend of Mir 3" features heroes and villains, sorcerers and warriors, many of whom wield enormous swords.

Qiu and a friend jointly won their weapon last February, and lent it to Zhu who then sold it for 7,200 yuan (464 pounds), the newspaper said.

Qui went to the police to report the "theft" but was told the weapon was not real property protected by law.

"Zhu promised to hand over the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest with great force and killing him," the court was told.

The newspaper did not specify the charge against Qiu but said he had given himself up to police and already pleaded guilty to "intentional injury".

No verdict has been announced.

More and more online gamers were seeking justice through the courts over stolen weapons and credits, the newspaper said.

"The armour and swords in games should be deemed as private property as players have to spend money and time for them," Wang Zongyu, an associate law professor at Beijing's Renmin University of China, was quoted as saying.

But other experts are calling for caution. "The 'assets' of one player could mean nothing to others as they are by nature just data created by game providers," a lawyer for a Shanghai-based Internet game company was quoted as saying."


Source: Reuters

Wtf .... i never tht games could be so harmful
* John Anderton stops playing pc games

It is an interesting concept, would stealing e-property count as theft?

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Originally posted by saralk
would stealing e-property count as theft?

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Now, it doesn't. And I really don't think such a law would be made.

quote:

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Originally posted by blade
Legend of Mir 3" features heroes and villains, sorcerers and warriors, many of whom wield enormous swords.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ezra
Now, it doesn't. And I really don't think such a law would be made.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ezra
Now, it doesn't. And I really don't think such a law would be made.

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quote:

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Originally posted by blade

quote:

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Originally posted by Ezra
Now, it doesn't. And I really don't think such a law would be made.

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Well it's an interesting thought, because if stealing a virtual item isn't considered theft, then stealing from a person's online bank account could also be considered to be in the same category


It's a very odd thing to think about either way.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ezra

But online bank accounts are semi-online. Because the money is in the 'real' world, u just use the net to spend it...

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But u are not allowed to steal someone's online identity ... u cant steal some one's pin no, passwords etc ....
That is theft.

quote:

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Originally posted by John Anderton
But u are not allowed to steal someone's online identity ... u cant steal some one's pin no, passwords etc ....
That is theft.

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as far as I am concerned, anything you parted money to get is considered your property.

If someone hijcaked your website, then that would be considered theft. Even though it is not in the 'real' world.

quote:

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Originally posted by saralk
as far as I am concerned, anything you parted money to get is considered your property.

If someone hijcaked your website, then that would be considered theft. Even though it is not in the 'real' world.

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quote:

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Originally posted by saralk
If someone hijcaked your website, then that would be considered theft. Even though it is not in the 'real' world.

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although that doesnt give him the right to kill someone over it

quote:

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Originally posted by Vilkku
EDIT: Considering laws, many MMORPG companies declare all accounts and in-game stuff their property so selling it for money is considered breaking the law.

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The quote sayz that it was posted by u So how r u ignoring urself vikku

quote:

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Originally posted by saralk
although that doesnt give him the right to kill someone over it

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quote:

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Originally posted by Vilkku

quote:

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Originally posted by Vilkku
EDIT: Considering laws, many MMORPG companies declare all accounts and in-game stuff their property so selling it for money is considered breaking the law.

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Why are you ignoring me?

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Doesn't accepting the end user agreement count?

quote:

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Originally posted by Vilkku
Doesn't accepting the end user agreement count?

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Bah, it's a sad reality, but there are people out there who aren't fully right in the head, get adicted to games, won't stop talking about them until their game becomes all that their life revolves around and they end up doing things like this.
Luckilly the worst we have around here is Blade + Halo
Edit (due to blades new fad): PSPs...

quote:

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Originally posted by Anubis
Bah, it's a sad reality, but there are people out there who aren't fully right in the head, get adicted to games, won't stop talking about them until their game becomes all that their life revolves around and they end up doing things like this.
Luckilly the worst we have around here is Blade + Halo

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Wow someone stabbing someone over a GAME? THats fucking unreasonable. But i do know when somebody worked hard on a game and spent many hours on it and to lose it all with a click of a button. Wow.  I would be devastated. But to kill someone. Sigh

those ppl live in serious illusions... on-line games are Chaos! except of counter strike and warcraft

I remember reading the llicense agreement of MU that everything you have in the game (swords etc) is property of themso you cant sell them in ebay and such...

This is pretty sick anyway...

why would they do this

thats great, it reminds me of the time a kid got killed over pokemon, what a horrible world

Hehe i saw this yesterday on SMH.. Slightly different article, Had in it about some guy buying a virtual island for AU$35,000

yeah this is getting a bigger problem. on lineage 2, you have to be really careful who you kill they might be in a clan that is also a organised crime syndicate. they come and find you and kill you. this is mostly a problem in taiwan and not so much in the west at the moment cause more people play mmo out there. but it will only get worse.

quote:

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Originally posted by mad_onion
yeah this is getting a bigger problem. on lineage 2, you have to be really careful who you kill they might be in a clan that is also a organised crime syndicate. they come and find you and kill you. this is mostly a problem in taiwan and not so much in the west at the moment cause more people play mmo out there. but it will only get worse.

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