Article about virtual wills in Entropia.

Usurper · 09-04-2008, 13:09

I found this article with Carl Uggla and made a quick translation from Swedish to English.

Original link:
http://www.gp.se/gp/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=913&a=436198

Translation:

Carl Uggla, project managers at Mindark, sees big assets being created
in they virtual world that the company has built.

Invests on virtual wills.
The company Mindark from Gothenburg will begin to draw up wills for their
customers to cover the things they own in their virtual computer world.
- It's a natural development, says project manager Carl Uggla.

Mindark is the company that has created the online world Project Entropia,
a virtual science fiction world where the player can develop their own character.
Over 700 000 people are playing the game today.
But the company has big hopes that that figure will come to increase dramaticly.

- We are currently developing a platform for the Chinese market and our partners
in China speaks about millions players.
It's a staggering thought says Carl Uggla of Mindark.

In Mindarks virtual world you can buy a virtual representation of a product
from another player or compant that you then get shipped to your real life adress,
like a sweater for instance.
But you can also trade with pure virtual products.
- the development is heading increasingly against that the economy in online games
becomes more and more the same as the real one, says Carl Uggla.

The fast development of the genre has also created new issues.
The American company Blizzard, witch is the biggest with it's online game
World of Warcraft - 10 millions members the world over - has for several years
seen different kinds of frauds that company considers to be breaches of the EULA.
On auctionsites as "blocket" and Ebay, people are trading characters
and virtual items of considerable values ingame.
A character can cost anything from some hundred swedish crowns up to several
thousand, this despite that it's against the EULA.

Consumer and copyright laws are different from country to counntry.
What's deemed as illegal in the USA doesn't have to be it in Sweden.
Though a “character trade” is a breach of the EULA, the possible penalties
depends on the circumstances around the trade and noone can
know the details for sure, says Martina Bertilsson, legal adviser at Setterwalls
in Gothenburg who is specialized on legislative law in virtual worlds.

Mindark in Gothenburg had according to Uggla gotten around that complex problem
by employing an open economy.
What you buy in the game you own and can sell for a possible profit
that you can convert back into real money
- You pay for the things you use in the game instead of a monthly fee.
A successful concept, the previous year MindArk made 18 million in profit
and now develops the game even further.
American and Chinese companies have started cooperation with Mindark
and hopes to sell their things in the virtual world.

The company (MA) has also begun to sketch on virtual wills.
- there is land in the game of considerable value witch if the
player would die is unsertain who would claim, says Carl Uggla.

The clearest example is the American Jon Jacobs that in 2005 bought
an asteroid in the game for one million Swedish crowns.
Today, you as a players can visit that lump of rock.
- he takes in 15-20 000 dollars per month on his asteroid, part via his
nightclub but also on the lands he created, says Carl Uggla.

The IRS has since spring begun to tax the activities within online worlds.
- We're not performing any bigger investigations.
- It's more of a service and a way for us to be clear about the rules.
I have got questions from several entrepreneurs who want to
start activities in these worlds and about how they should go about it.
People want to do what's right, says Dag Hardyson at the Swedish IRS.

Martina Bertilsson sees the IRS's actions as the logical one.
- it's about validating this business sector, she says.
A lot of what happens online is still in a legislative gray area
and open for pure legal interpretation, but there are now rules
implemented regarding incometax for people living in Sweden, she says.

Kamikaas · 09-04-2008, 13:14

thnx for sharing and + rep for translating

Henceforth · 09-04-2008, 13:23

If he profits that much per month I figure the tax can be a bit lowered (on TI also) Because its a total rip-off.

rhogenbe · 09-04-2008, 13:28

It was already comming a while that MA would start to take this seriously.

Several members of the EU community have passed away over the years. Not every relative even knows that the person in question could have a big amount of value on the avatar in question.

Last year i was asked by some friends of mine who also play to take care of their EU will in case of. I did some research back then:
Entropia Universe will execution

Cheers
Siam