Despite being a great MMO video game, there are some internal problems plaguing Second Life that involve the company Linden Lab and users. These, take note, are not just simple problems as they sometimes lead to lawsuits that can cost both parties thousands of dollars, sometimes even more.

As a response, Linden Lab recently changed the Terms of Service agreement for Second Life. The said revision is quite beefy but the most notable one is the option for an out-of-court settlement for lawsuits below US$ 10,000. Linden Lab VP for Marketing and Community Development Robin Harper (aka Robin Linden) explained:

Our new updated TOS, which are the terms and conditions on which Linden Lab provides access to the Second Life environment, give Residents the option of resolving claims for amounts less than $10,000.00 USD through a proceeding conducted by telephone, online, or based on written submissions.

With this proceeding - called "binding, non-appearance-based arbitration" - we aim to save Residents both time and money by eliminating the need to appear in person at the arbitration hearing to resolve small claims.

Robin Harper then discussed the new TOS in length over at the official online blog for Second Life. If you're an SL resident and want to further understand these changes, you can refer to our Read link below. You will be asked to agree to these terms the next time you log into the game.