So it has hit the Associated Press which means you can find it just about everywhere: from newspapers to radio to TV, and of course all over the net. Some insightful discussions can be found on many of the SL forums, including SL Universe, Second Survivor, and the official SL forums (until the thread gets locked LOL).
I am going to add a link category (not right at this moment...but soon) to the side bar with bookmarks to media, blogs, and anything else related throughout this.
Be forewarned if you tend to get defensive about our Second Life. As usual, you have the naysayers, the ignorant, and the uninformed. It's extremely difficult to explain what Second Life is and isn't, and anyone who has tried will echo this sentiment I'm sure. And we always seem to carry a stigma due to the sexual content, which inarguably is a thriving portion of SL, but contrary to popular belief is certainly NOT a part of everyone's SL.
In the comments on today's Washington Post, the notorious Prokofy Neva claims to be the one who "broke" this. Well, fan or not, give the devil his due because he DID post the first related article that I know of on 10/22.
Next SLNN, Virtually Blind and SL Insider followed suit (no pun intended) and surprisingly, without much fanfare or comments. I tend to think this situation has thrown a lot of people for a loop.
Enter the New York Post on Sunday morning, complete with RL pic of the defendant, as well as quotes not only from him, but also a couple of the plaintiffs.
Monday morning is, of course, when everyone wakes up and gets back to work...google the case in question and you'll come up with several pages, both notable and not. Most feature the same AP article so it can be a bit of a scavenger hunt to find the ones featuring original reading. Information Week has one, as does Game Politics.
Your most intelligent discussions thus far though have come straight from our community in the aforementioned SL-related forums. They are not just "SL pwns vs. SL is teh suxxor." There is a lot of food for thought and copyright/DMCA/IP rights, etc going on.
I leave you with this: Let your favorite content creator(s) know how much you support them for the time and talent they put into making our world more beautiful everyday. Without them, we'd just be any other of the bunches of "virtual worlds" of which none even compare (or at least not yet) to Second Life. Be thankful for what we do have. And to those who say "get a real life"--I wonder what they did tonight after 10 hours of work for their lower-middle-class pay? Most likely they watched the boob tube and/or sat here trolling for stories to leave more scathing, uninformed comments on. I choose RL with a healthy dose of SL, where interactivity and creativity abound. I think DoC sums it up best with his store slogan: Your only limitation, is your imagination.
~QQ~
More on "The Case"
First Free Agent Fashion Post!
So my first fashion related post over here on the new blog. For the time being, this is where you will find me showing off my fashion faves, a hobby of mine dating back to June of 2006. And who better as a first choice than one of the best veteran SL designers, Nephilaine Protagonist of PixelDolls?
Neph has been mega-releasing again lately, everything from HUD-hair to HUD-skirts, but it was these corsets she released a few weeks back that I adored most. I was actually shocked to not see them much, or even at all on the Fashion Planet feed. Intricate texture work, vibrant colors, multiple layer options and always affordable prices make these corsets a wardrobe staple. They are part of her Autumn 2007 Collection and will remain available in-world until the hoghly anticipated release of her Winter 07/08 Collection.
Showing only three out of several varieties and colors from left to right are Athene Corset: Embers, Stephanie Corset: Blue, and Fortune Corset: Jade.
(Click for larger image until I get this cotton pickin' thing figured out)
The rest:
Hair: ETD-AVEDA-Short Crop
Skin: Jessica-Golden-Smokey Disco from CAKE
Gloves: Black Leather Gloves-Long from Tete a Pied
Jewelry: various pieces by Siyu Suen of Illusion
Hat: Adore a Fedora by Launa Fauna
Tattoo: Phoenix Hummingbird set by Rhiannon Boronski of Primal Art
The Real Consequences of Virtual Theft
Theft of Second Life content creation has been a growing illegal industry and creators have long been frustrated with the difficulty of protecting their products. In many cases Linden Lab has been contacted, DMCA’s (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) have been filed, and in some instances content creator’s have stopped creating altogether or felt so disheartened that they’ve left SL entirely out of frustration.
Things are about to change as a group of well-known designers and creators have taken real life legal action, straight to the US District Court, seeking to set a precedent and to send a message to those residents who are acting illegally by copying original designs by means such as taking advantage of what some have claimed as longtime, well-known exploits.
Utilized as a last resort, filing suit should prove to be the most effective means to settle matters of this sort, however it can be quite an undertaking. But what options are SL’s creators left with to protect their items, creativity, and in some cases, their livelihood? Linden Lab has stood by their claim that SL is not a game. For those that disagree, content thieves especially, game’s over.
In this instance there is not only copyright infringement, but trademark violation as well. It is up to each individual how far they want to go to protect their business and designs, but it can be done via incorporation, as well as by filing the appropriate trademark and copyright claims.
In SL’s few short years of existence the population has exploded, especially in the past two years, and just like the real world bad seeds do inevitably exist within the confines of this virtual community. While the lawsuit in question may not be particularly about seeking monetary compensation, more importantly it should serve as a wakeup call. Exploits do not give you a right to steal or an excuse for doing it. Just because you own a gun, that doesn't give you the right to shoot anyone; just because you own a sports car does not mean you can drive over the limit.
It is my understanding that the defendant was given ample opportunity and reasonable time to settle this matter privately. He continued his non-compliant stance and claims of innocence even after being presented with what many will view as unquestionable evidence, much of which is available to the public via this Flickr collection. Does this appear to be activity of someone who is harmlessly cleaning out their inventory, or someone legitimately holding a yard sale? It is also important to note that several of these images show large quantities of copies from creator’s who have never given wholesale/resale rights.
For more info and details visit Virtually Blind, as well as this Google Document that went public this morning outlining the actions over the past 6-plus weeks that ultimiteley led to the suit being filed just a few days ago.
~QQ~
Feelin' this out
I have never used Blogger before (or if I have, my high school antics and older age have caught up and affected my memory), and can't say yet if I will continue with it. Time will tell. So consider these first couple of posts a trial run. Please forgive the current blank and default looking style until I figure out what's what.
On first glance, it appears to be simplified enough but I tend to lose patience and crave instant gratification. I guess this counts as my third blogging venture (technically my fourth but only because my first one was moved to it's own server) in regards to Second Life anyway.
You may or may not know of me from the RockNGames blog and the M2 Fashion Angel's blog. If you do, thank you for visiting and dealing with this latest location change; and if you don't, welcome! To everyone, I hope you enjoy your visits and I do welcome comments and discussion.
Speaking of comments, I currently have them set to moderation, only because my original WordPress blog got out of hand with spam and I spent quite awhile deleting a stack of 5000 last night. So, like my title, I am feeling this out.
*distracted* ooo Dane Cook on Jay Leno...brb
Ok, commercial.
No, sorry...distracted again by SL jeans.
And Dane is now back. Hold, please.
I guess SL is like RL with things changing, evolving and growing. In SL though things seem to happen in a much quicker time frame. I haven't quite figured out the reasoning behind that phenomenon yet. For myself, even though I have loved all 3+ years of my SL as a whole, it did have some bad effects on me for awhile (a lot of escapism) but that eventually turned into a wake up call and after 2 years in I started to get my act together and am now in the best frame of mind and health that I have been in all of my adult life. I was lucky. Some, not so much.
I watched CSI:NY last night--the mega-hyped episode based around SL. And while I got a kick out of seeing our world there on the boobtube for millions that have never heard of it, it was also a bit scary. The basic premise (RL murder via SL stalking) is really not all that far-fetched.
*distracted yet again* Chris Cornell (former Soundgarden and RATM) on Jay Leno now. I got stabbed for this man way back in the day! LOL But that's a story for another post. Oh I dig this song. It almost sounds like a cover tune, though I can't quite place it...
Well, I think I've overstayed my semi-introductory post, not to mention it's definitely my bedtime. Thank you for surviving through my (undiagnosed/self-proclaimed) ADHD...here's to many more!
~QQ~