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Dutch court convicts teens of virtual theft News
MMO PC News by Oli Welsh
Yahoo reports that a court in Holland has convicted two teenagers of stealing virtual items in the popular kids' MMO, RuneScape.
The 15 and 14-year-old culprits forced a 13-year-old boy into a transferring a "virtual amulet and a virtual mask" to their accounts in RuneScape.
The Yahoo report is light on detail, but we understand from our friends at Eurogamer.nl, who read about it in the paper this morning, that the errant teens beat up and kicked the victim, and threatened him with a knife.
The two were convicted to 360 hours of community service between them. "These virtual goods are goods (under Dutch law), so this is theft," said the court in its ruling.
Very few cases of virtual theft have reached the courts in the past - usually, police refuse to take them seriously. This is the first time in Holland that there has been a final ruling in such a case.
If you can read Dutch, you'll find more information on the case at nrc.next.
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Comments: 1-10 of 10 in total
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They read tuesday's newspapers on thursday morning at Eurogamer.nl?
Anyway, I don't think the boys would have been punished if they hadn't used brute force to get to the goods. The Dutch jurisdictional system is rather mild in general. Although I do think it is a good thing that virtual theft is actually considered to be real theft. |
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Shakey_Jake33
23/10/08 @ 10:55
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^The beating and kicking was real, but that's not what the report is saying. They're being tried for theft of items which are virtual. In previous cases, they'd of simply been tried for assult or similar and the virtual theft discarded.
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@Hamflank: We actually already posted it on Tuesday:
http://www.eurogamer.nl/article.php?arti... |
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turnget2005
23/10/08 @ 11:52
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so why did the kids not get charged with assult, ABH, and or GBH which is a more servere charge?
i think they got away easily. death sentence is what i would have gave them! mwua haha |
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Gotta love translation software...
"Previous year stood the Netherlands on his head because of the threat of a boy in Friese lion ears. The best boy became two other boys of its school forced to its personage in the MMO Runescape to them giving. The victim was kicked in each other and he was deprived of its virtual items. Today a sentence has been pronounced in the court of lion ears, where suspected the two minors is condemned for virtual robber stable. It is for the first time in the Netherlands which someone is condemned for this indictable offence. The two daders both has got a work sentence of 180 hours. Also they have got four weeks conditional youth detention for their infamous action." You crazy Dutch people ;) |
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Fine, I'll put a full translation of the article of Dutch Eurogamer, don't expect it to be 100% correct though. I'm just doing my best.
------------------------------------------------------------ -------- A year ago, in the Netherlands, a 13 year old boy in Leeuwarden was threatened by two other boys (who were 14 and 15 years old). The 13 year old boy was forced to give his Runescape character to them. The boy was beaten up and robbed from his virtual items. Today a judgment has been made in the court of Leeuwarden, where the two under aged boys were convicted for virtual theft. It’s the first time in the Netherlands that anyone is convicted for such a case. The two offenders both received community service of 180 hours. They’ve also received four weeks of conditional youth detention because of their horrible deed.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 23/10/08 @ 16:48
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Comments: 1-10 of 10 in total
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