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Comment by gohrt | Hacker News Reader

"Stealing" a bitcoin involves exchanging messages. There is no physical movement of objects, no direct financial effect, and not even an obvious copyright infringement.

The law needs to comprehend what was stolen, and assess the damages. Or treat this as a computer-hacking (unauthorized access) case.

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I don't expect it'll be hard for the law to comprehend. Sure it's digital property, but unlike a lot of things digital it actually functions mostly by the same rules as physical property (only one person has any given bitcoin at a time, &c).

If someone scams you for 5,000 gold in World of Warcraft, did they commit a crime?

Is gold in World of Warcraft generally expected to be exchanged for goods and services and dollars and yen?

Even so, maybe, maybe just not a very serious one, assuming we don't write it off as "part of the game".

There are businesses dedicated to buying, selling and producing it. It can also be exchanged for goods and services, is easily valued in and converted to USD and other currencies, and fluctuates in value depending on supply and demand.

I picked WoW instead of a game like EVE Online because scamming is not an expected part of the game.

I'm not aware of any criminal proceedings against people who stole WoW gold, but it is an entirely different matter if actual money (i.e. USD) was taken.

Sure. Like I said, maybe it's a crime, but not one hugely worth prosecuting.

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