Realities / People
Tech&Terms / Culture
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Realities

• Antiparadisia
• Arboria
• Aquarius
• Drome
• Grep
• Grünwald
• I's Land
• Nippon
• Nocturn
• Pia Pia
• Reality Prime / RealWare
• Restless
• SubUrbana
• Tribal Alpha
• Urbana
  • ConsuTopia
    MegaShopping
    PlazaComplex

People (& Orgs.)

• Auntie Mae
• Alex Gunthar
• Belle Pasadina
• Don Amerello
• Duke
• Gillian Bates
• Mellow Fellow
• Mortimer Fallsworth *
• Mr. Tanner
• Ryo Noyori
• QwikSlvr
• Xyzzy

• Campers
• D3THL0RDZ
• Open Reality Movement
• Ninja Clans
• Normalizers *
  (The Society for Normal Reality)
• Reality Adepts *
• RealWare IP Police *
• Steel Blades

Terms & Tech

• "Blue Sky of Death, The"
  (And other RealWare problems)
• Docks
• Multiverse
• NullSpace
• Open Engines
• Passport Processing *
• Points (Economy)
• Realities
• RealNet
  • Audio Receivers
  • Nodes
  • Messaging
  • Video Network Sets
  • Workstations
• Reality Adepts *
• Reality Engines (for Mobiles)
• Reality Engines (for Realities)
• Reality Engineers
• Reality Pistols
• RealWare *
• REC Test
• Safety Mode (see BSOD)
• Transients

Culture

• 8 Bit Commandos
• Angst Boy
• Edo Heavy Industry
  Toy Concern
• Drugs
• Hawt Stuph!
• Important Courtroom
  Drama
• Joe's
• Krap
• Love & Hate
• Onegai!
• Onsen-of-the-Month
• Ping Pong
• Religion
• The Last Word
• Twoday's Guidebook

original unreal estate
series and core content
copyright 2004 stefan gagne
please see faq for usage
and legal information

RealWare IP Police

Intellectual property must be protected. Technically it's not tangible and only exists as a legal fiction, but protection it must have and protection it will have.

The IP Police aren't really "police" in the traditional sense of the word. They're investigators, detectives under RealWare's payroll who look into IP crimes. Pirated music and movies, illegally produced knockoff engines, people who hack their accounts so they don't have to pay RealWare as much each year, etc... basically, anybody who deprives RealWare of money and goods they have coming to them under law will fall under the eye of the IP Police.

The real power of the IP Police comes with the agreements RealWare has with just about all of their customers to make IP violation a crime punishable by local laws. The IP Police make the arrest, but they deliver the violators into the hands of the perp's home authorities. The laws are pretty universal, since RealWare lends a helping hand in drafting IP laws... it's just a matter of not usurping the power of local government. Or pretending not to, at any rate.

One place the IP Police hold no sway is in Open Realities. There, there is no RealWare agreement, and thus no laws. They can't make arrests because, well, who would they turn the crooks over to? The local ORM aligned government would simply exchange high fives with the 'perps' and laugh at RealWare.

For the most part, the IP Police are peaceful sorts. They're more versed in law and detective work than they are in kicking down doors and shooting at people -- in fact, they're not allowed to carry deadly weaponry. But they are allowed to act in self defense, and hey, accidents happen... just not too frequently, because RealWare severely frowns upon overzealous IP cops who stain RealWare hands with blood. Cops who do that find themselves fired and with their pensions revoked.

One thing that really sticks in the proverbial craw of the IP Police is that they're under orders NOT to consider an Open Reality Engine an IP crime. Even though its origins likely involve numerous IP violations, word from the tip top (see also: Gillian Bates) says that RealWare will take care of this threat at a business level rather than a legal level. Either they don't think they could make a solid case, or it's just some whimsy of Gillian's... either way, the IP Police hate to be reminded of it.

You may not disband the IP Police.