UK Judge Says Stolen RuneScape In-Game Gold via Hacks Counts as Property

A UK appellate court has ruled that the gold in RuneScape actually counts as property, as the judge ruled on the theft and money laundering charges against a former game developer who hacked multiple player accounts and converted billions of in-game gold pieces into Bitcoin and cash.

The judge in the first trial dismissed the theft charges and said in-game gold was not “property” because it was just like computer data.

But then the appeal brought another question:

Can virtual currency in a video game be “property”?

The defense argued that RuneScape gold pieces were simply “information” and didn’t constitute property that could be stolen. The appeal court rejected this idea, concluding that virtual gold is more than “just data”

The appellate court said criminal law uses its own definition of “property,” and that it doesn’t apply only when there’s a contract between a game developer and players. As Lord Justice Popplewell explains in the decision:

“They have properties which exist outside the minds of individuals, notwithstanding that those properties exist as a consequence of the coded software inside computers. They are rivalrous because the use and consumption of them by the game player necessarily prejudices the use and consumption of them by others.”

“If they are used and consumed in the game by player A they cease to exist and cannot be used by anyone else. If they are transferred to player B they are not available to anyone other than player B. The use of usernames and passwords is designed to ensure the exclusivity of this use and consumption,” the judge added.

Simply put, it’s irrelevant whether the players own the gold under their license. The real question is whether the asset can be dishonestly taken from someone.

• The appellate court held that RuneScape gold pieces can be considered property for criminal law:
• They are identifiable assets distinct from the underlying code.
• They are rivalrous, meaning that gold used by one player deprives others of the same currency.
• They are transferable within the game.
• They can be dishonestly dealt with, including via real-world trade.

What does this mean for the hacking allegations?

The defendant has been accused of using unauthorized access, which includes hacking or internal credentials, to steal approximately 705 billion gold pieces from 68 player accounts. He allegedly later sold those assets outside the game for cryptocurrency and cash. The alleged real-world value was over £500,000.

By confirming that those gold pieces are property for criminal purposes, the judge has revived the theft count. Without recognizing the gold as property, prosecutors would have been limited to computer misuse offences alone, potentially voiding the digital theft and money laundering charges.

The Court of Appeal’s decision confirms that digital assets like RuneScape gold, despite existing in a virtual environment, can be treated as property and lets prosecutors to pursue theft and financial crime charges in cases of alleged hacking.