eBay Nixes Sales Of 'Virtual' Goods
eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said the move stemmed from growing legal concerns surrounding the sale of virtual property. "Because of those legal complexities, we felt the most prudent thing to do at this point was to ban them from sale for the site," he said.
Although Durzy declined to comment on which legal issues eBay was concerned with specifically, one possible problem stems from the uncertain ownership of virtual goods. The terms of service of nearly every massively multiplayer online game state that the items and currency that the players amass belong to the game publisher and not the actual player. eBay's terms of service require that sellers own the property they list for auction.
The taxability of online assets also remains unresolved. In October, the congressional Joint Economic Committee launched a probe investigating how virtual property and income should be taxed.
But, while eBay is banning the sale of virtual items used in massively multiplayer online games, the auction site will continue to allow users to buy and sell items used in virtual world Second Life. "Our current mode of thinking is there's a legitimate question as to whether Second Life should be lumped in with these massively multiplayer online games," Durzy said. Second Life, which has a virtual economy and a virtual currency that can be exchanged for real dollars, is more of a "virtual world with a virtual economy" than a game, he said.
Recent Online Media Daily Articles
-
Showrooming Overhyped, Mobile Key To Shopping Purchases May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Given consumers' mobile in-store shopping trends, some consider the showrooming hoopla overblown. The research process still ... -
Shopping App Swirl Adds In-Store Capability May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Swirl entered the mobile shopping fray last year with an iPhone app allowing users to learn ... -
Tablets Gain Popularity With Shoppers May 22, 8:53 a.m.
Internet-connected devices are exploding in the United States. There are 31.8 million Internet-accessible tablets, according to ... -
More Consumers Turn To Mobile To Research, Book Travel May 22, 8:53 a.m.
More than half of consumers used a mobile device to book travel in the last 90 ... -
DataXu Opens Black Boxes, Launches Marketplace For Ad Algorithms May 22, 8:48 a.m.
In a push to demystify the black box world of programmatic trading, a major ad technology ... -
FTC's Ohlhausen Questions Privacy Recommendations May 21, 6:05 p.m.
The Federal Trade Commission's 2012 privacy recommendations could unintentionally disadvantage smaller online ad companies, Commissioner Maureen ... -
Subway's Comedy Promotes Brand, Content Strategy May 21, 2:43 p.m.
Setting a new bar for brands and their programming aspirations, Subway’s scripted comedy series, "The 4 ... -
Future of Social, Digital Shops In Doubt May 21, 1:48 p.m.
Companies talk a lot about fully integrated marketing strategies. One result may be the demise of ... -
Google+ Needs Android To Climb Out Of Experimental Phase May 20, 9:24 p.m.
Marketers continue to view Google+ as a fledgling network requiring experimentation, although the company released a ... -
AOL, Support.Com Settle Scareware Lawsuit For $8.5 Million May 20, 5:20 p.m.
Web company AOL and software vendor Support.com will pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought ...
Be the first to comment on "eBay Nixes Sales Of 'Virtual' Goods"
Leave a Comment