Legal Precedent: Virtual Goods are real in the Netherlands

Yet another precedent seems to have been established for the legal protection of virtual goods.

This time it's not SecondLife but Runescape that came before the courts. This article on the Radio Netherlands website recounts how a 13 year old boy was bullied by two slightly older boys who then ended up in court.

This case has a very interesting twist that I believe we will see repeated in the future:

The court dismissed the defence lawyer's argument and cited an earlier ruling that electricity can be considered a material object for the purposes of criminal law and stealing electricity is theft. (emphasis is mine) The court ruled that the same principle can be applied in this case and stealing virtual Runescape items is theft as the owner was forced to hand over his possessions.

Interesting logic and one that's hard to argue against. I can't wait to see this prosecution angle tried in the United States.