While debates regarding digital ownership between users and publishers continue in the West, a precedent has formed in China allowing heirs to gain access to game accounts, in-game purchases, and other digital assets of deceased relatives. This was shared by Reddit user u/Slawrfp, whose wife is a Chinese lawyer and certified translator, summarizing several successful court cases.
Chinese courts view game accounts and microtransactions as assets with real monetary value, meaning users have property rights over them. Judicial bodies reject the claims of platforms that standard user agreements prohibiting account transfers can block legal inheritance.
This judicial precedent dates back to 2009, arising from a dispute over a valuable artifact called the "Golden Blade" in the online game Zhengtu. Following the death of a gamer named Lu, his legal wife, Li Lan, wanted to sell the item. Since obtaining the artifact required the cooperation of the deceased's "in-game wife," Yang Yuan, the latter also claimed ownership.
The court ruled that because Lu put in personal effort, paid for internet access, and bought in-game credits, and buyers were willing to purchase the sword for 50,000 RMB (about $7,350), the item possessed the attributes of property and could be inherited. Although the virtual "in-game marriage" had no legal bearing, the court took Yang Yuan's joint efforts into account and awarded both parties 50% of the asset's value.
In 2024, a court examined a case concerning the inheritance of Bitcoins, a game account valued at nearly $30,000 (200,000 RMB), and a social media profile. The platforms insisted that ownership belonged to them under the agreements users signed during registration.
The court ruled that such virtual assets, including cryptocurrency, domain names, and commercial rights to accounts, are part of the estate. The following rules were established:
- Invalidation of transfer bans: Any clauses in user agreements that prohibit inheritance are declared invalid, as they violate statutory rights.
- Platform obligations: Platforms are required to assist with inheritance and may only request supporting documents or charge reasonable processing fees.
- Privacy exclusions: Private information (such as chat history) is not subject to inheritance due to privacy concerns and must be archived by the platforms themselves.
A similar ruling was issued in the case of a mother who lost her son. The court ordered the gaming company to provide her with full access to the deceased's accounts, characters, and virtual items, recognizing them as inheritable property.
The Chinese approach contrasts legacy practice in the US and Europe. For example, the Steam Subscriber Agreement strictly prohibits account transfers. Because US courts classify games as temporary digital licenses rather than property, companies like Valve are under no legal obligation to pass digital libraries on to users' heirs.
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