The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks

Andrew Sparrow is a national award winning solicitor and founder of Lecote Solicitors, a niche commercial law firm concentrating on internet, IT and new media law. Andrew is the author of several books on commercial and internet law, including Music Distribution and the Internet (2006) and Film and Television Distribution and the Internet (2007), both of which are published by Gower. In a national poll conducted in 2004 and supported by the then Department of Trade & Industry he was acknowledged as one of 100 individuals in the UK who have contributed most to the development of the internet in the last ten years.

Contents: Introduction: the advent of the avatar; Entering into the virtual world and v-commerce contract formation; Legal terms and conditions governing participation in virtual worlds; The minimum content the law requires for virtual world and social network websites; Protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights in virtual worlds and social networks; Marketing, promotion and advertising of internet social networks and virtual worlds; Protecting personal privacy in virtual worlds and social networks; The Distance Selling Regulations and sales through virtual worlds; Agreements between virtual worlds or social networks and infrastructure providers; Strategic agreements between virtual worlds and aggregators of the service; Protecting corporate and individual reputations in virtual worlds and social networks; Disability discrimination considerations with virtual worlds and social networks; Employment law issues and employees' participation in a virtual world; Bibliography; Index.