Crim. Law meets the Virtual World

A Chinese exchange student has reportedly been arrested by police in Japan on suspicion of carrying out a virtual crime wave in the massive multi-player world of Lineage II. The fruits of the virtual crimes were then fenced on a electronic auction site for real cash. What made his behavior especially egregious is that the perp used a software "bot" to carry out his evil plans. Such a non-human character is virtually unbeatable by a mere human player. The purloined booty included the Earring of Wisdom and the Shield of Nightmare.

It is unclear from the article on the web site for the magazine New Scientist what exactly the miscreant was charged with. It is equally uncertain what punishment he faces. One envisions an avatar in an orange jumpsuit cleaning up the litter around the the virtual Temple of Foo — and no bots to do the dirty work for him.

See more in the New Scientist's article "Computer characters mugged in virtual crime spree."