In the virtual world of Second Life , there are a number of in-world business and user-groups founded specifically for the game, some of which have become legal entities in their own right, as well as preexisting companies and organizations that have involved themselves in the world.
These businesses and organizations are legally registered or recognized entities created specifically for Second Life. Groups affiliated with preexisting organizations are in the Operated inside Second Life section.
Aimee Weber Studio Inc. has provided services for several real-world business, including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, [1] United Nations, [2] American Cancer Society, [3] American Apparel, [4] Warner Bros., [5] NBC [6] and Save the Children. [7]
Anshe Chung is the main avatar (online personality) of Ailin Graef in the online world Second Life . Referred to as the "Rockefeller of Second Life" [8] by a CNN journalist, she has built an online business that engages in development, brokerage, and arbitrage of virtual land, items, and currencies, and has been featured in a number of prominent magazines such as Business Week , [9] Fortune [10] and Red Herring . [11]
EXAKT - Made in Sweden is run by Tina Bergman since February 2005. It specializes in lighting and in 50-60 style of architecture. It is based in Stockholm, Sweden. [12] [13] [14]
Second Life Left Unity (SLLU) is an international socialist and anti-capitalist organisation which operates entirely within Second Life. [15] Originally established by members of the Scottish Socialist Party, [16] and other left activists, [17] it challenged the Front National when it attempted to establish a base within the virtual reality world, [18] demanding that they were only allowed to operate in adult areas of the game. [19] More recently it has also supported IBM workers [20] in Italy protesting against low pay. [21]
The Electric Sheep Company is a design, building and scripting firm that creates content for three-dimensional online worlds. [22] Originating in Second Life, they have done work on the Virtual Laguna Beach project for MTV, [23] [24] Aloft Hotels, [25] and Sony BMG Music, [26] as well as creating the OnRez version fork of the client software.
World Stock Exchange [ permanent dead link ] (WSE) is a virtual securities exchange developed for use in the virtual world of Second Life. The exchange provides Second Life companies with the ability to raise capital from the global investment market using the in-world fictional Linden currency and the new World Internet Currency(WIC).
The WSE has been surrounded by controversy since it began operation. Due to the difficulty in regulating "companies" that trade on the exchange, there have been a number of "CEOs" who have run off with IPO funds, leaving investors with nothing. Other issues, such as security and downtime have plagued the exchange, including the theft of funds by an "employee" who "hacked" the system and left with stored funds. [27]
These are businesses and organizations originating in real life that have operated in Second Life and were not founded specifically for Second Life, but have involved themselves in the world.
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