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The implication is that any player other than the creator of a new virtual object (who owns the copyright) and Linden Lab (who owns a license Runescape Gold) that clones the object without permission may be liable for copyright infringement.
The first virtual property case in the US has recently been filed in the 13th Federal District Court as of July 2007 to test copyright infringement theory on the Second Life virtual world. The complaint involved an unauthorized cloning of a virtual bed.
Another curious distinction between Second Life and classic MMORPGs is that real money transactions are welcomed and mostly unregulated.
Players invest heavily in Second Life's virtual real estate and opportunities to grow startup businesses. Though many come to the virtual world to play and interact, stories of success and overnight millionaires bring others who are there to make a buck while the income is still untaxed by the IRS.
A Linden dollar to US dollar conversion rate is calculated daily, and is currently at a 266:1 ratio. Real money can easily be extracted from the virtual system using the conversion rate and Linden Lab's Dollar Exchange program.
However, Linden Lab expressly retains the right in its Terms of Service, to tax Linden dollars, distribute them without charge, or cancel accounts without refunds.