Pushing Legal Boundaries

A few news items caught my eye recently:

Woman Jailed for Murdering Avatar: Turns out that a "...43-year-old Tokyo woman was jailed for murdering her virtual ex-husband's avatar". Although she was not charged with murder, but with "illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data", it raises such questions.

Dutch Court Punishes Theft of Virtual Property: Two kids in the Netherlands were found guilty of robbing "Runescape and giving his assets to the two perpetrators". These "assests" are not real but virtual - they don't exist as tangible property as we would define property.

Real Pilots And 'Virtual Flyers' Go Head-to-head: "Stunt pilots have raced against computer-generated opponents for the first time — in a contest that combines the real and the ‘virtual’ at 250 miles per hour".

So you can see a theme here, it creates a minefield of moral hazards and new challenges for humanity as we sail into (virtually) unchartered territories!

You thoughts and comments welcome.