The comedy sitcom The Big Bang Theory once raised the question of whether the theft of in-game content is really theft. A British court has now provided an answer based on Old School RuneScape.
What is this case about? A former employee of Jagex, who worked as a content developer on the MMORPG Old School RuneScape, is accused of having unauthorized access to the accounts of 68 players who owned large amounts of the in-game currency “Gold”.
The accused allegedly stole over 705 billion Gold, with a real trading value of around 626,000 Euros, from the players and then sold it through third parties, including for Bitcoin. He now faces five charges, including:
- Gaining unauthorized access to computer material with the intent to commit an offense.
- Theft, arguing that “between March 17, 2018, and July 29, 2028, he stole a large amount of gold nuggets from the online game Old School RuneScape […] that belongs to Jagex.”
- Three charges related to money laundering offenses because the accused allegedly converted the gold to Bitcoin, among other things.
A lower court in the UK initially dismissed the charges on the grounds that gold does not constitute property, as it is “infinitely reproducible” and mere information. The prosecution subsequently appealed. The new ruling is the result of this appeal.
Theft of in-game currency is also theft
The court ruled: The court decided that the theft of gold can indeed be considered theft (via nationalarchives.gov). This ruling was made by three judges. The presiding judge justified the ruling as follows:
“Gold nuggets in RuneScape can, in the sense of normal language use, be described as something that can be stolen. They fall under none of the established exceptions. They are not ‘pure knowledge’: Functionally, they exist as identifiable assets that are distinct from the code from which they arise and lie outside of human understanding.“
The court states that the gold nuggets are assets “that have a discernible monetary value and can be exchanged for that value both within and outside the game.”
- “Within the game rules, they represent a monetary value resulting from the purchase of a bond.”
- “Outside the game, they are regularly exchanged for money.”
- “They can be the subject of dishonest transactions that deprive their owner of their use and value.”
Furthermore, the judgment reads that the court would find it “surprising and unsatisfactory” if such dishonest transactions did not meet the criteria for theft.
What happens now for the accused: The court’s ruling has paved the way for a criminal trial. How the situation will proceed for the accused after the ruling is still unclear. The trial, which will decide on a possible sentence, is still pending.
It is clear that the accused can no longer claim that the theft of gold is not real theft. He continues to face the possibility of a sentence for theft and potentially even for money laundering.
RuneScape will turn 25 years old in 2026. To celebrate the anniversary, the developers have planned a lot. Just a few days ago, they presented the roadmap for the current year. You can find out more about it on MeinMMO: RuneScape presents new roadmap for 2026, immediately eliminates Pay2Win
