Maksio Skall

A simplified version 1. a) SL stock exchange uses 'fictional' companies that exist in SL only (sometimes not but that does not matter now) b) Said companies earn L$ with in-game services 2. a) You use L$ in SL stock exchange b) L$ can be bought with or sold for -real life- currency 3. 2b = L$ have -real life- value = Potential -real life- spendings of earnings 4. 3 + 1 = 'Virtual' companies on second life have -real life- values. 5. 3 + 4 = Stocks on Secondlife Exchange is no game, for transactions and stocks there have potential -real life- values. 6. most important None of that matters, for, sadly, there are yet no laws concerning such environment, hence the owners can happily sit under a legal umbrella. As far as laws that I know are concerned, the moment someone spends their money to buy L$, they have paid for a service and the money becomes property of Linden Labs. Likewise, if someone exchanges their L$ for real money, the company sends a payment to given individual (And the only thing that binds them to performing the transaction, is the agreements every user signs upon creating an account). Outside the company, legally, L$ have no value, hence stocks exchange running on them can get away under pretense of being a 'game' that doesn't use actual currency, without being under any goverment control.