A lawsuit has been filed in New York State that may clarify the connection between virtual worlds and this so-called real world. At issue is property, and money, and the ability for people to build a business online.

Earlier today I appeared on CBC Newsworld and spoke about this with host Nancy Wilson.

On one side you've got retailers who have outlets in second life in which they sell their goods, which just happen to be virtual, in the sense of existing within a virtual world. These retailers of course argue that these products are not virtual in that they are sold for exchangeable currency and for many this is their livelihood.

On the other side is the defendant, just some guy from Brooklyn who feels that Second Life is just a video game, that the products in question are just make believe, and that in learning how to bend the rules of the virtual world and reproduce and resell these products he's just winning at the game, and the retailers in question are sore losers.

I use generic terms rather than naming names or identifying products as the content is not as important as is the argument.

Is the virtual real? Is it governed by the laws of the real world?

I suspect the answer will be yes, and finally a clear link will be established that in fact virtual worlds are not virtual at all. Online yes, but make-believe, maybe-not. The real world is filled with lots of fantasy, why not accept the fantasy worlds as real.

To read more on this case check out this post from virtuallyblind.com.