So what happens next? LindenLab announce that they intend to build their own currency exchange (which just happens to work the same way as GOM) and build it into the UI.
So how is this any different to Sony? Sony specifficaly tried to stop 3rd party trading and admitted it. LindenLab have followed the same path claiming "fair competition". How can the result be any different?
Two things...
One, GOM didn't invent market trading. People should stop calling foul that the mechanism is so similar because they might as well be complaining that other people are stealing their idea of selling clothing in the game.
Two, unlike Sony, LL has found that the third-party trading isn't working _well enough_ for their needs. PL stated during the Town Hall that they were definitely interested in facilitating impulse purchases, which the current system is not doing because it's actually a small hassle. Ignoring that "minor" detail is foolish because basically it ignores the fact that Americans look long and hard for _new and interesting ways to be lazy_, or they wouldn't be shelling out *real money* for artificial advancement in something that's supposed to be *fun* in the first place.