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Taser Sues 'Second Life' for Trademark Infringement

by Ian Rowan on April 24, 2009 at 09:28 AM


'Second Life' has reached another virtual milestone -- it's being sued by Taser, the world's largest manufacturer of stun guns, for trademark infringement. 'Second Life,' run by Linden Research Inc., is a virtual online community of users that use avatars to 'live' and 'work' within a user-generated world. According to Bloomberg, Taser is claiming trademark infringement, since users can buy 'Tasers' from virtual vendors within 'Second Life' and use them on other avatars (or on their own, if they're so inclined).

Since 'Taser' is a brand name, and the virtual product is being bought and sold with real currency in virtual shops that also sell pornographic material, the company contends that its brand is being tarnished and diminished. Lodged in Phoenix, Arizona, the complaint states, "All of the defendants that sell virtual weaponry like plaintiff's real ones, under the mark Taser for use in the Second Life programs and grids, also sell adult-only explicit images and scenes."

According to the Second Life first quarter economic report, its online economy is booming with user-to-user monetary transactions projected to be $450 million this year (a $100 million increase from last year). Seems like Taser wants its cut, since the 'Don't tase me bro' fiasco probably hurt sales. [From: Bloomberg]

Tags: lawsuits, second life, SecondLife, sue, taser, virtual worlds, VirtualWorlds

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