Second Life affected by worm attack and CopyBot

There are some problems in the virtual online world Second Life. This weekend it had to be closed for a short time after a worm attack crippled Second Life's servers.

The virtual economy also has to deal with a program called CopyBot. This program enables users to copy any object in the game, which created havoc as content creators saw their creations getting copied and stolen. blockquote>Objects from clothing to furniture to houses to jewelry are the building blocs of the game's evolving economy and CopyBot caused immense harm.

It is not clear how Linden Lab will be able to stop people from making use of CopyBot, as some people make a living selling virtual things at Second Life. Linden Lab said the best avenue for content creators who had their wares stolen could be to file a complaint under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- of course not in the virtual world.

In recent years, Second Life has become one of the most discussed about happenings in cyberspace. Even major companies have entered this digital realm, including Adidas, Reuters and Channel 4's Big Brother, which have all set up business in Second Life. It has a population of 1.5 million today and it is growing at the rate of 38 per cent every month, according to Linden Lab.