About....

...the Lawspot Library

The Lawspot Library's primary goal is to gather resources and links related to the law of virtual worlds, both Second Life and others. The Library also contains links and resources related to U.S.A. primary law and secondary sources.

The Library welcomes suggestions for links and content. The Library particularly welcomes submissions of original material related to law and virtual worlds, including pleadings and other documentation of litigation or legal investigations.

...the Info Archipelago project

The Second Life Lawspot Library is part of Alliance Library System's Second Life Library 2.0 project. Read the project's 2006-2007 annual report here.

...the Law Librarian

Cat Galileo is the Second Life avatar of Kate Fitz (JD, MLIS), a law librarian at the Sacramento County Public Law Library in Sacramento, California. SCPLL has no connection to this project and any errors or opinions should be attributed solely to Kate.

...Second Life

Second Life is a 3-D virtual world run by Linden Research, Inc. ("Linden Lab"). Participants create cartoon-like 3-D "avatars" to represent themselves in Second Life and can meet and chat in live time with other participants from around the world. Participants design, build, and sell animated objects such as clothing, vehicles, and even customized avatars. They also sell services, ranging from architecture to "cybersex." Linden Lab expressly grants participants intellectual property rights in their own creations. In addition, participants can obtain exclusive rights to plots of "land," with the right to excluded others, build a home, club or business of their choice, and resell the land at will, and sometimes at a profit.

Second Life is one of a number of virtual worlds and games available, but to date, it is unique in the extent to which participants can create content, and the extent wo which they are granted ownership of intellectual property they create in world. This aspect has generated disputes that spill into the "real world" as allegations of land sale fraud and intellectual property infringement begin to appear in United States courts.

For more information about Second Life, visit its website at www.secondlife.com.