The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks

Citation

Fourie, I. (2010), "The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks", Online Information Review, Vol. 34 No. 6, pp. 987-988. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521011099487

As a national award‐winning solicitor and founder of Lecote Solicitors, Andrew Sparrow is well qualified to author a book on raising awareness and explaining the complexity of laws in the sophisticated virtual and internet social network sphere. Considering the long‐term future of these in civic, educational and health contexts (to name but a few), The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks is a timely publication.

The book consists of 13 chapters, a bibliography (very basic) and an index (fairly detailed). The chapters include an introduction (The Advent of the Avatar), a chapter on entering the virtual world and v‐commerce contract formation, and a chapter on legal terms and conditions governing participation in virtual worlds. There are also chapters on the minimum content the law requires for virtual worlds and social network websites, the protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights in virtual worlds and social networks, as well as the marketing, promotion and advertising of internet social networks and virtual worlds. Furthermore there are chapters on protecting personal privacy in virtual worlds and social networks, 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 services, the protection of corporate and individual reputations in virtual worlds and social networks, and a final chapter on employment law issues and employees' participation in virtual worlds. Chapter 12 (the penultimate chapter) on disability discrimination considerations with virtual worlds and social networks is especially useful in raising awareness of a very important issue.

Although the chapters are all well written and laden with information, they might have benefitted from a concluding paragraph recapturing the essence of the chapter and linking to the next. A concluding chapter with thoughts on further issues to consider might also have added further value to the book.

The Law of Virtual Worlds and Internet Social Networks is recommended for researchers in the field as well as practitioners wishing to take their services to the next level. As Andrew Sparrow explains in the Introduction:

So this book is written for anyone interested in virtual worlds and social networks whether commercially because they want to explore the possibilities such environments present, or simply for academic curiosity. Similarly, it is for anyone who wishes to participate in virtual worlds and who simply wish to venture into a new domain unlike anything the real world offers.