Virtual Worlds, Real Damages: The Odd Case of American Hero, the Greatest Horse that May Have Lived

Abstract:     
As the virtual world and the real world begin to collide, what damages exist to the owner of virtual property? What are the consequences from building a pay-to-play virtual world that accepts real world money for virtual items?

In discussing the questions articulated above, the author analyzes the example of a virtual horse named American Hero and the real world damages that appear to have occurred by virtue of his death.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 8

Keywords: virtual, items, world, worlds, property, law, american, hero, horse, racing

JEL Classification: K1, K11, K12, K13, K19

Accepted Paper Series