Virtual Worlds, Virtual Markets, Real Money

Last Friday eBay looked like it was going to ban all trading of virtual market stuff for World of Warcraft etc - thus either strangling the virtual GoldMines in China or, more likely, allowing a major competitor to itself to emerge - but lo, now it looks as if Second Life is to be spared?

Is this because eBay's founder Pierre Omidyar is an investor in Second Life

Of course not, it is because - on Second Life the user has control of their own IP and thus can buy and sell it on eBay.

Glad that thats cleared up then......from now on its only Second Life that the Tax authorities will want to know about as World of Warcraft trde goes underground with its dwarves and goblins.....

(Postscript...just seen this is also covered quite well here on GigaOm...makes point that open IP will be used by competitors to Second Life )

Oh...and Clay Shirky has a pop at Second Life again today...article calls Jaron Lanier the Babbage of Web 3.D and compares 2nd Life voluptresses to prehistoric clay models among other things....good read)