UK Court of Appeal Rules that RuneScape Gold is Property in $750K Theft Case
The UK Court of Appeal has ruled that virtual gold in Old School RuneScape qualifies as property under the Theft Act 1968, enabling owners to seek criminal justice in theft cases. Lord Justice Popplewell determined that virtual gold is an asset with ascertainable and tradeable monetary value, both in-game and externally. This ruling overturns a previous decision that the gold was not “rivalrous” due to its unlimited supply. Popplewell argued that unlimited supply does not negate the property status of items if individual ownership and dispossession occur during transfers. The case involves a former Jagex employee accused of accessing 68 player accounts and stealing 705 billion gold pieces, which were subsequently sold for approximately $748,385. The defendant faces charges including theft, computer misuse, and money laundering. Legal experts note that the definition of “property” under criminal law differs from civil law, and game terms of service do not override this for theft cases. The ruling has broader implications for virtual assets in games but does not alter Bitcoin’s property status in UK law, which is already well established.
