Shanghai No 2 Intermediate People's Court Tuesday heard Qiu
Chengwei, 41, allegedly stabbed competitor Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest
after he was told Zhu had sold his Dragon Sabre used in the popular online game,
Legend of Mir III.
Qiu and a friend jointly won the weapon last February, and lent it to Zhu who
then sold it for 7,200 yuan (US$871).
Qui went to the police to report the "theft" but was told the weapon was not
counted a real property protected by law.
Zhu promised to handover the cash but an angry Qui lost patience and attacked
Zhu at his home, stabbing him in the left chest "with great force," and killing
him, the court was told.
Qui gave himself up to police and on the advice of his lawyer, has pleaded
guilty to intentional injury, claiming he never meant to kill Zhu.
However, the court's prosecutor told the court: "As cyberweapon is not under
the protection of any law in our country, Zhu was faultless in this case."
The court has yet to issue its verdict, but either charge can result in
capital punishment under China's Criminal Law.
Qiu has a chance to appeal to the city's higher court for a second trail,
which will be conclusive.
The case has caused a legal dilemma in China where no law exists for the
ownership of Internet gaming weapons.
In November 2003, a 23-year-old player from North China's Hebei Province sued
Beijing-based Internet game provider Arctic Ice Technology, after he found all
the weapons and points he amassed for months playing the company's game Red Moon
were stolen.
It was the first time in China where disputes over virtual assets in an
online game were handed to the court.
Now more and more gamers are seeking justice through the courts over stolen
weapons and credits.
"The armours and swords in games should be deemed as private property as
players have to spend money and time for them," said Wang Zongyu, an associate
professor at the law school of Beijing's Renmin University of China.
"These virtual objects are often tradable among players," he added.
But other experts are calling for caution.
"The `assets' of one player could mean nothing to others as they are by
nature just data created by game providers," said a lawyer for a Shanghai-based
Internet game company.
Online game companies in Shanghai -- the city with the most players -- are
planning to set up a dispute system where aggrieved players can find recourse.
Shang Jiangang, a lawyer with the newly established Shanghai Online Game
Association, said: "The association has drafted some measures to facilitate the
settlement of disputes over virtual assets."
He added: "Once any cyberweapon stealing occurs, players can report to the
operator, which will then sort it out according to the
circumstances."
