San Francisco
– A group of virtual landowners in Linden Labs’ "Second Life" online
virtual world has filed a class action lawsuit against the company, claiming
the company broke the law when it rescinded their ownership rights, Mashable
reported.
The suit alleges fraud and violation of California’s consumer protection laws,
arguing that Linden Labs "knowingly offered to sell the class members virtual
land and the ability to acquire ownership rights in virtual property and then
took the plaintiffs’ property and did not honor the owners’ rights in their
property."
The plaintiffs say a change in the terms of service of Second
Life forced them to either accept new terms that rescinded their virtual
property ownership rights, or else be locked out of the site.
They also allege
that Linden Labs "froze and deleted or converted all the U.S. Dollars,
virtual land, and property that Plaintiffs had entrusted to Defendants without
offering any explanation or recourse for recovery."
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/25mx72q
(Mashable)
http://tinyurl.com/26bcpw8
(PDF of complaint)
