Real Trademarks Used in Virtual Worlds – Part II

In our June 2009 newsletter, we wrote about the challenges posed by Virtual Worlds such as Second Life to trademark owners.  The commercialization of virtual worlds by real life companies and the apparently rampant unauthorized use of trademarks by virtual world residents has created new “territory” for trademark owners to police their marks.

Linden Research, Inc., the owner of Second Life, now provides an avenue to report trademark infringement occurring in Second Life.  Owners can report infringements directly to Linden’s legal department so long as they provide proof that they are the owners of the trademark in question.  Likewise, upon submission of a legally sufficient DMCA takedown notice, Linden will remove material infringing an owner’s copyright.

To learn more about Linden Research, Inc.’s intellectual property policies, visit it’s wiki and blog.

— Adam G. Garson, Esq.