There was a long piece in the New York Times last week about the virtual world of Second Life and how it's "is fast becoming a three-dimensional test bed for corporate marketers, including Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sun Microsystems, Nissan, Adidas/Reebok, Toyota and Starwood Hotels." Apparently a Congressional committee is investigating whether virtual assets and incomes should be taxed (I can't imagine how they could).
Here's the art law connection:
"Mr. Verbeck of Electric Sheep said copyright infringement was rampant. His company runs an online boutique where Second Life residents sell each other pixelized creations of everything from body parts to home furnishings to roller skates — many of them unauthorized knockoffs. So far, the boutique has not had many requests to stop selling fake products. But 'we did have a request from the Salvador Dali Museum — which was great,' Mr. Verbeck said. 'Second Life is so surreal that it was perfect.'”
