While the show was going to be taped live, the performance fell on the weekend of the 48 hour film festival, so my intended cameraman would be unavailable! Now, regardless of this being a live show, it would be nice to have it recorded if only for posterity. It’s important to remember that we are limited to only 30 people in the audience to prevent instances of lag. The show is very fluid, I have to be able to move, elements have to be able to rezz, textures have to be able to load, and I don’t have to tell many of you virtual world residents that when there are many people in one place, that things works as intended is clearly out of the question! So, while I wanted to be able to provide a full on theatrical experience for my live audience members for a full hour, it would have been great to share it later on with a much wider audience. This show is taking place one time; One night. Without it being filmed, the experience belongs solely to those 30 people and myself. That seems pretty selfish given how much time and effort Lucy and I have invested in this show. It is truly a full vegas/comedic experience unlike any other.

Now, taking that into consideration, as the show came together Lucy and I did a few run-throughs and realized we had something pretty damned spectacular. The quality of the show - of which I’d love to take full credit for but cant - surpassed what either of really anticipated when we set out together on this adventure. We sort of sat started and said to each other, “damn, this is really good… why are we doing it so small?”

And we concluded that doing this show small would absolutely NOT do the quality of it justice. We wanted to expand it to really meet the standards each of us have. Suddenly we weren’t just satisfied by putting on a god show, we wanted to do something that would be really hard for anyone to top, and that’s within our grasp. Our content, both comedic and musical is unsurpassed. Many of you know Digit Darkes, the phenomenal Second Life designer, who has done the costuming and Lonetorus Hablis has provided an array of lighting effects. The magnificent builder, Brunswick Warburton who some of you may remember from his stellar SL6B builds has crafted some of the most sensational particles that compliment the activity on stage (in moderation, I promise!) And the original music - actors for the sketches.

A small idea for my stand up comedy act has indeed become an enormous production that has easily matched those of any filmed productions I’ve done. And I want my audience to leave on that evening with a full throttle experience. I want to leave them talking. I want to create a spectacle unlike any other live show has done in Second Life, and we’re halfway there, so we figured why stop now.

Those were the primary reasons we decided to push back the date to December 13th. Which also happens to be my real life birthday, and just two weeks later in my 7th rezzday.

I’d like you to come and celebrate that evening with me.

There is an access list that will be maintained to allow admission only to the first 30 people who reserve a seat for that evening. Those who have already reserved will receive a special item prior to the show as a token of my appreciation for their support. After thirty reservations have been made, none other will be taken unfortunately. However, we will be working with a camera crew to put together a filmed version of the full program that will be equally enjoyable for those who cannot attend in person!

To reserve your seat please send a notecard in Second Life to DiVAS Galaxy.

This is a milestone for me, and I look forward to seeing you on December 13th!

In the meantime, enjoy our trailer!

As one might expect, some of Second Life’s most prolific content creators were in attendance, and Mr. Duranske definitely touched upon a lot of Hot Button issues, including the recent lawsuit filed against Linden Lab by Stroker Serpentine which he believes will force Linden Lab to change their process of dealing with reports of infringement and content theft significantly. While I can’t quote too much of what Mr. Duranske stated in his presentation (Because I can’t transcribe that fast!) he did state quite certainly that he felt “Linden Lab’s efforts to protect content creators are insufficient.”

In contrast to his statement, he also said that he was certain they possessed an awareness of the declining Second Life condition and that they were likely trying to be searching for some resolve, but there is no magic button, my friends. It’s not as simple as we would like it to be, not for us, not for Linden Lab.

But while there is a lot more Linden Lab can do to streamline the process of filing complaints and finding resolve, he also stated that in cases where losses are incurred by residents that they should hold Linden Lab responsible as the provider. In response to a question regarding the possibility of future class action lawsuits against the Lab in pursuit of more stringent policies and procedures for dealing with theft? “I am definitely a fan of the Class Action Lawsuit,” he said. Given that theft has swelled to epidemic proportions chasing out vast numbers of such high profile creators as Digit Darkes, it doesn’t seem unlikely anymore that people will begin holding Linden Lab responsible for the blatant thievery taking place under our noses - in the case of Redgrave, in her very own store where a copybotter was soliciting her customers, selling all the Redgrave skins for 100 Lindens. It is really that unapologetic now. It’s like going to your local Department store and stealing a cart of goods to resell at discount - and doing so in their own check-out lines. While the concept of it actually going that far deeply saddens me as a long-time resident of Second Life, I can understand that things of this nature are often necessary to help shape and evolve the way virtual world content creators do business and how future worlds will protect their interests and investments. I never imagined 7 years ago that one day I would be attending a presentation such as this. It was perhaps the furthest thing from my mind when considering the realm of possibilities that virtual worlds would offer us as a society. I don’t quite know how to relay in words how surreal it was, from my perspective, to have witnessed such an event, knowing that so many ethical and legal boundaries had been crossed in a world that once seemed to me so utopian. But I digress.

Someone asked Mr. Duranske why they can’t petition Linden Lab to disable stolen textures (Which would encompass skins, clothing and prims containing them) and his response was pretty startling.

“…disabling textures would highlight the extent that copyright infringement has taken place. In my opinion, disabling stolen content would show residents just how much content has been stolen and they don’t want to do that.” To his credit, Mr. Duranske did state that it was just his opinion, but a pretty well informed one if you ask me. He could very well be right. We know content theft has gone to a phenomenal extreme in Second Life, and while we stress that it’s “bad” not many really understand just HOW BAD it’s gotten. Can you imagine if they disable all the stolen content and then suddenly large parts of the world went gray? How many residents who have no idea that such activity is going on? Lets face it folks, there are a great majority of people, genuine residents who just log in, buy a shirt and some shoes, go dancing or to a combat sim and then log off. They don’t know whats happening beneath the surface of the world, and they don’t care as long as the gears just keep turning. So, just imagine how many people around the world who participate in Second Life have absolutely no clue they purchased or own stolen goods. It’s not like they went to someones vehicle in a dark parking lot to get a knock-off handbag out of their trunk. Thieves own Stores in Second Life. And by all means, to the common eye they look entirely authentic. The majority of Second Lifers whose platform is decidedly social harbor very litter or no awareness at all.

That said, the question posed to Mr. Duranske was just what exactly we should be doing as a community? “There isn’t much that can be done besides trying to bring it to Linden Lab’s attention unless it’s styled as a class action. As a community what you’re doing right here is great. Just getting two pieces of information is critical, how to register your copyright and how to file a DMCA.” Registering your copyrights to your content sounds like a challenging process with little reward to many, I know and understand that plight so many have suffered, but in his presentation, Mr. Duranske explained that it was critical. If you are a serious content creator and you want to be proactive in your own defenses, a registered copyright, which is 30 USD, is worth the insurance it provides.And in instances of having to file claims against those infringing upon it? “It gives your attorney and Linden Lab extra teeth.”

Many of us, including me, have always been pretty satisfied in the thinking that a copyright occurs on the moment of creation, and to some extent that is true. But when it comes to litigation, and a question of legitimate ownership is posed, it is incredibly important to have gone that extra mile because if you’re just relying on the “I made it, it’s mine legally” that so many of us have in the past, that actually obscures many legal avenues that might otherwise be open to a creator who had registered their creations. It’s no longer that simple, folks, not in this era. Times, they are a’changing.

Linden Lab has often heavily relied on us, as a community, to self police. And as a hats off to many of you who care enough to read this particular article, you’re probably one of those who has been active in that sect of people desperately trying to maintain the integrity of our grid, and preserve the creative investments of our creators, and I thank you! It is without question that Linden Lab’s hands-off policy has come back to bite them at this point, and the actions taken in recent months by both victims such as Stroker, and attackers such as the relentless creator of NeilLife Viewer have taken us beyond the point of no return. Something must be done now. If something is not done, Second Life, once a creators/artists/imagineers paradise, will surely die.

A resident stated today, “Why won’t they just say something. Why won’t Linden Lab just step forward and address it and us. Why won’t they acknowledge this and do something, anything to give us some hope?” I don’t think anyone can answer that question but the Lab themselves, but it certainly painted an accurate picture of the state of mind our creators have found themselves in. Hope is waning.

We still thrive under the stigma that Second Life is indeed nothing more than a game. That losses in such a frivolous environment amount to nothing… or at least, nothing substantial enough to warrant any type of legal recourse, mere pennies. There are people, in fact a great many people who think that the effort in pursuing thieves who steal 20 cents of content that they can’t utilize elsewhere is a waste of time for legal professionals, and because of that expressed mentality, many content creators who have suffered losses fear backlash if they seek legal counsel… they fear being laughed at or mocked. Indeed, I will concede to the fact that when you look at the world up close, it is true that only a handful of people are truly making a sustainable income from their Second Life sales of virtual goods, Stroker having been one of them. It is also true that those results are not typical, rare as a matter of fact. Many virtual entrepreneurs rarely make their own tier. But that is not the case here. It is not a few people losing a little. We’re talking hundreds upon undreds of people losing content every day in mass quantities. The amount lost certainly add up. Maybe you haven’t lost thousands of dollars in content, but if you take all the stolen content from every resident wo has been victimized by thieves and add up the value of their goods in USD, I’m sure the value will shock you. The frequency at which goods are copies - not paid for - stole - suggest that oover the last few months alone it is likely that the collective of losses incurred far surpass any figure we have seen, likely in the 6 figures by now.

As Mr Duranske kindly provided in his presentation links to copyright registration information, I will do the same here.

To read more on Copyrighting your material AND to register your work, do so here: http://www.copyright.gov/

If you have specific question you would like to pose to Mr. Duranske, or further discuss these issues further he welcomes you to write him at his address here: benjamin.duranske (at) pillsburylaw.com

I’d like to thank Bettina Tizzy who brought together this phenomenal presentation, and who afterward gave a demonstration on how to identify stolen objects for those previously unaware.

I will still be chairman, as I have been since leaving the job as CEO. The change is that I’m not going to be working full-time at Linden Lab anymore (some of you might have thought I wasn’t still there, but actually I have been!). I’ll still be doing the same outbound and media type things as before - talking about Second Life, etc.

I’ll be honest, my heart aches to see his role limited even further. This coming so shortly after the departure of Robin Linden, Everett Linden and Kat Linden, three key figures within the Lab masthead and beginning with the unexpected departure of ex-CTO Cory Ondrejka back in 2007, it seems the company itself is reshaping it’s face so drastically and with such frequency that I am beginning to wonder if Second Life, as Mr. Rosedale intended it to be anyway, will be even be recognizable in a few more years. Maybe I am inflating this, and if I am forgive me, but what exactly happens after a dreamer brings a dream to life, invites others to shape it and give it a presence, seed it, nurture it, watch it grow and then slowly step away? What happens next?

So many of those people who made up the heart, mind and Spirit of Linden Lab have moved on, and while change is always inevitable, often to drastic degrees, I am worried that what began as a something so powerful in purpose, driven by passion, will just be another soulless company whose light of inspiration has gone from a shining beacon to a flickering matchstick. The people who were the stabilizing roots of that Second Life behemoth, those who joined that Man, our innovator, those who believed in his vision and lent themselves to bearing the fruit of it… most of them are gone now. Others have come in over the years with their own “ideas” and “desires for direction.” They’ve brought their own blueprints and branched outward from that vanishing core of those close to it when it was in it’s purest form. Something that set Linden Lab apart from other companies was the familiarity of the people behind it. The residents, the pioneers of this world knew their names. They knew their faces. They were not just some corporate entity in San Francisco, they were people we respected and championed. Linden Lab achieved something that few corporations do as they grow, they retained their face. Most other companies consist of looming men behind desks who have no knowledge of their demographic or how their product is used by people like you and me, yet they are are responsible for making the decisions that affect us. There is a divide between customer and provider in so many of these scenarios, and both are typically indifferent to what the other says or thinks. The decision makers says “We should do this” and those affected simply live with it or leave it behind. Linden Lab accomplished something pretty monumental in that context, even today they have a relationship with us. I won’t lie, from my perspective, that relationship has been damaged deeply in recent years, but not in any fashion is it irreparable. Yet.

There are people there at the Lab making decisions, but they seem so far from having any positive community impact since it often does more harm than good when they try. I maintain this; Those people don’t know this community. They don’t know how we use Second Life. They don’t know what pulls us in, nor can they figure out where the pulse of this world is at, so they come up with these generic, uninspired initiatives which, despite their failures, results in no changes or remote interest in listening to anyone standing on the outside looking in. This is why we get bouncy boobs and not long-overdue bug fixes. This is why those with valuable voices have left the blog, they’ve left the forums, they don’t attend Linden Office hours anymore. Those are reserved for the extremists, the pot-stirring-flame-fanners and, in contrast, the fangirls and boys who are into Linden Worship. The real people are in Second Life. Or they’re sharing their thoughts and ideas, their criticisms and praises independently on their own third party establishments. We’re talking to a collective community that Linden Lab has lost touch with.

Perhaps I am unfair to allow my confidence in a platform that I have been so devoted to for 7 years to be diminished by all of this change. I definitely feel that while the changes have been significant, these are signs that there are even more significant changes on the horizon. For a great many who came after the chasm developed between the community, virtual culture and Linden Lab, they won’t care. Maybe that’s the unspoken goal here, to take on an unrecognizable face. That way, no one will expect anything anymore, they won’t know who to hold accountable. They will have no relationship with the Lab beyond the tapping of their bank account for their monthly bill, and that’s the end of the story.

Here’s the crux.

It could have been so much more. But why? It echoes a post I made a few weeks go about people holding me to responsibilities they do not hold others to who are functioning in the same or similar public positions. Linden Lab, in all fairness, IS a company, regardless of this “ideal” presented in it’s formative years. There’s absolutely no reason they can’t follow in the footsteps of so many successful upstarts before them and become virtually inaccessible to and disinterested in this thing we call “community.” They never promised us anything, this is true, nor do they owe us anything but what we pay for. They don’t have to keep trying these ill-designed “community initiatives” or giving away funds to charities in the form of Linden Prize. They have no obligation to this world beyond the obvious. Each day, fewer and fewer people impose expectations beyond the aforementioned. In fact, fewer and fewer residents even know what Linden Lab is, who Philip Linden is, or what an SLCC is. Those who know anything beyond what what they do beyond logging in and out have quickly and steadily become the minority. Maybe that is the Labs ultimate goal? They wouldn’t be the first to take this route. It’s the path of least resistance when dealing largely with the public. No expectations, no disappointments. I do miss that old Linden Lab, at least those people behind that name who were responsible for what it was fated to become, what most of the world knows it as today. I DO appreciate those who have come well after it was established- even if they have no “bond” with this virtual world and are simply executing a role in an office for a paycheck. Everyone has to do it. That is the reality, after all. And it is that same reality where arts ultimately fall along the wayside in favor of commerce, and where inspiration once sat, we can now find those Men in their dark suits making those business decisions. That is the nature of the beast. We idealists have to be aware that we have to be rational as well. Linden Lab is a business, first and foremost.

So, I am willing to accept that my perspective is unique. I was 23 when I joined Second Life. I am overly sentimental when it comes to Philip, Linden Lab, Second Life and this community. I have watched it change quite radically for over half a decade now. I’d follow Philip to the ends of the virtual Earth because he is indeed the kind of innovator that not only brings to life these once impossible ideas, but because he is shaping the future of technology and our very real culture - As long as he didn’t go all Heaven’s Gate on me and start spouting off about Aliens and the Hale-Bop comet.

Second Life is just the beginning for Philip in what will surely be the road map of his extraordinary contribution to technology and the real world. Of this, I am certain. However, as he withdraws yet another toe from the pool of this company he created, I have to wonder how much of his original vision will remain relevant to what it will ultimately become as he becomes even less visible than he is already.

I wish I had a crystal ball to look in to. I never would have imagined in the beginning that second Life would be the definitive virtual world it has becomes, setting a precedence that will be challenging to follow! I never imagined how critical it would be in terms of grassroots initiatives and establishment of communities around the globe or how instrumental in education and business. Where will it be in 7 more years? I’m sure I’ll be just as surprised, and you can bet I’ll tell you what I think even then.

P

Because this is being filmed Live with no retakes, there will be multiple cameras stationed around the auditorium. Access to the region will be closed for the duration of the show to anyone not on the list. To get on the list you send you request for reservation on a notecard to DiVAS Galaxy in Second Life, and when you receive your ticket your name will be added to the access list for the show. This is to prevent instances of lag and reduce the potential for griefing. Because somebody already set my ass on fire (link) on my way into the big brother house during the first episode.

Social media is one of those fancy buzz words we use to describe how we communicate in unconstrained, spontaneous clouds through virtual medium. Gone are the days of undisclosed thoughts and passing whims. We’ve said so long to opinions that our mother taught us were best kept to ourselves. Bye-Bye political correctness and the pubic manners we were instilled with as children. Nobody uses their inside voice in Social Media, and that’s created an amazing culture shift unlike any our generation has ever witnessed. We are the netizens of the new era, we are the Generation-I for information, from the senseless and benign: “I’m getting ready to go out tonight! Should I wear my Blue thong?” to pop culture profundities; “Michael jackson has just died,” all the way to the politically relevent; “Someone threw a shoe at G.W. Bush! HaHa!” It’s all there before our eyes unfolding like some endless quilt of seamless text happening in real time. It’s no secret that Social Media has pushed aside most of the avenues we used to take in our pursuit for news, all which was delivered to us by some droning news anchor at 6 and 11. Now, social networks grapple onto hard hitting stories and deliver them in a viral fashion with further reach than any singular news channel could possibly hope to. It’s not some well manicured duo behind a desk feeding us up-to-the-minute information from a fact sheet, it’s the people we follow. It’s the real human beings living it and reacting to it, raw and uncensored. It is the power of information placed in the hands of the masses. And sure, when Davey67609 wants us to know that he’s finally passed his kindney stone, sometimes it’s plainly frivolous as well.  However, you won’t here that from your local news desk.

There is an Ego to the cyber citizen society that populates these networks. Many things that people say nobody really asks to hear. No one is soliciting information or urging other to post about their daily grind. They just do. Real people in the real world sharing small bits and pieces of their day for no damn reason other than they can. And someone might respond. They want someone to respond. They want to know they are being heard. It’s the whole “Hello! Is anybody out there?” mentality that are addicted to. Sort of like the first time you spoke on a CB radio while traveling the I-90 and thought, “Oh my god, there’s real people in those other vehicles flying by me at 90mph, and they think and speak!” I remember with anticipation as I hovered over my father’s Ham Radio just willing someone out there to speak. They didn’t have to speak to me, mind you. I just wanted to hear someone utter something, and the fact they didn’t know I was listening made me want to hear more. When the internet boom hit and people began using chat rooms, you’d often find “griefers” and Bigots charging into rooms for minorities to spew bile and hatred without remorse. Why? Because they could. They could speak and people would listen. They would incite a reaction from strangers.. strangers somewhere out there. The birth of the Net Society made the world a little bit smaller and a lot more braver with what they shared.

And social media may have matured that with the evolution of Generation I. Sure you still have those who like to say things explicitly for shock value or to, as I say, knock on the wall until someone knocks back. But the invention of cloud communication has changed things significantly. It’s almost a shared consciousness, or a million different thought streams in a million different directions open for anyone to read and respond, or ignore altogether. In turn we share ours, we toss them out there like flecks of dust for the wind to carry across thresholds of doorsteps around the globe. Why do we do that? Ego.

And celebrities have jumped on the bandwagon. People like you and me but are accustomed to having throngs of people hanging off their every word. It is not a new thing to incite reaction with vague rambling if you’re famous. We’ll follow them to just to seem them type “Oink” like a pig once ever six months on twitter. They’ll get a million responses, and many of them won’t bother reading them because they have a super-confidence in knowing that they are heard when they utter anything at all. Why do they hold contests between themselves to see who can reach a million followers first like Larry King and Ashton Kutcher? Why does Ellen Degeneres ask her millions of followers to head on over to Kevin Nealons and follow him to help him reach a million? Why does Moby have 900,000 followers but himself follows only 18 (If you include the fact he follows Barak Obama and David lynch- many celebs only follow other celebs) Why do we follow celebrities who don’t give a crap what the plebs are thinking nor do they typically respond to the bellows of “Please say hi to me Ryan Seacrest!” Why the hell would anyone NEED a million followers to begin with? Why are there countless websites dedicated to creating schemes and automated bots to help the less popular social networks gain more followers on social media platforms?

Ego.

Everyone wants to know that someone was is listening, otherwise, what’s the point? If people wanted to keep “it” - whatever the “it” of the moment is - to themselves they would write in a Diary.

The powerful thing about social media is it has brought an awareness to the unaware and given a voice to the voiceless. For some it has changed their lives.It has brought attention to things and to people whom without the broad grasp of social networking would have remained faceless. Grassroots causes, charities, political campaigns, marketing companies are all harnessing the power AND the collective of Social media. Why? What happening this very moment? See the trending topics. See what people are thinking in the now. See what they’re saying in real time. Get up, get angry, get active, get linked in, or just get stupid. Knock a thought into the stratosphere of thoughts, there are as many as there are stars in the sky now. The choice is yours, and nobody will tell you that you can’t. It’s highly possibly that someone will knock one right back with an @ in front of your name. You will have been counted. That’s the draw. That’s why we’re there. That’s why some sit and refresh the page over and over to read new posts. Social networking has proven something rather astounding, and that is you don’t have to be “somebody” to be heard anymore. From our phones, from our computers, from our sofas, our thoughts manifest themselves with minimal effort. No matter who you are or where you are, you now have a soap box and the world, the entire world, can be your audience…

…even if all you have to say is “My feet hurt.”

Today, countless residents woke up to find their goods being sold on another website, VirtualGet.net. Not only does it seem VirtualGet is entirely unaffiliated with Linden Lab, but the domain owner is cloaked by one of those anonymous registration companies which sends up more than a few red flags. Another major concern is how they are profiteering of resident content by offering a “Low cost Premium Membership” to anyone from the outside world who wishes to purchases your goods using their credit card, with the incentive being a “reduced price” 3-Day Trial for USD $4.86. They actually have THREE pricing plans - only differentiated by how much FREE content a user can download. You know… I give away my things quite a bit, but I’m not thrilled at the idea of someone else doing it for me.

A few curious things to consider - I’m certainly no master designer, but my things are appearing on this website.. or rather “Added to their catalog on August 11th”… and I have never authorized this website to sell any of my things on my behalf or to charge fees to people using my virtually created items to create their inventory of stock. And it’s not just me, I’m a small fish in a big pond, some of the most prolific and high quality virtual designers are in the same boat.

So how does this transaction occur? All of us with an XStreet account (Which is an official Linden website and FREE) know that in order to ensure delivery of products in our listing, they have to be packaged in an Xstreet Magic Box which delivers the product to the customer in world. How would VirtualGet access our Xstreet Magic Boxes to deliver our goods to people who purchase from their website? And perhaps more importantly, where is that money accrued from sales going, rather, to whom?

Xstreet associates our accounts with our Second Life Avatar names - the same information we use to log into the official SecondLife.com website. Obviously, in order to pay us they would have to be privy to that information in order to provide the same services Xstreet does, such as tracking sales, providing a transaction history, credit our accounts for purchases, and display inventory of items for editing on the backend. The bottom line is, to pay us they would have to know who we are and possess more information than I’m comfortable with some anonymous third party website having, and I’m willing to wager they don’t have that information, and we are likely as anonymous to them as they are to us, which is why our names as the creators of the content do not appear on listings selling things we’ve made.

The biggest concern for me is how they are accessing the XStreetSL listings, taking our photos of our content, our listing details and masking the price unless you “Join” their website. To sell an item belonging to any one of us - and while it is in our Xstreet Magic boxed it does belong to us - they have to have access to the content therein. Unless they have bypassed the XstreetSL code and are redirecting our content to their web users, I am admittedly clueless as to how this is being accomplished. It could be they don’t have any of our things and are looking to get rich quick by charging people their subscription fees and not delivering the content, which means, in that scenario, they are using our virtual creations to commit fraud.

Because so much of this new mercantile website is shrouded in mystery all we can do at this point is speculate. If Linden Lab had an official association with them they surely would have reported it to the current XStreetSL merchants before selling our inventory there. Not to mention they would have to completely revise their merchant agreements due to the fact that VirtualGet gives our content to subscribers freely for a monthly subscription fee - so where are the Merchants getting their payment for these goods if they are being handed out indiscriminately for US $4.95? And would Linden Lab have to give us the option to opt out of having our items syndicated through a third party should that be the case?

UPDATE: It turns out that this website is indeed illegitimate. Less a copybot threat as a “phishing” scam wherein potential buyers are baited into handing over their credit card number to pay for subscription services that doesn’t really exist. Once they obtain an individuals credit info they have the ability to victimize them in a multitude of ways, fraudulently using their credit card, engaging in acts of identity theft and gain access to personal financial information, such as associated bank accounts. These establishments exist all over the web and are exceedingly dangerous.

If your work appears on that website under the guise of their “catalog” of inventory, please write to their host administration using either the contact form here (link) by choosing “Report Abuse Complaint/Violation” from the details, such as the original XStreetSL link the material was lifted from, and a link to the unauthorized content on VirtualGet. Alternatively, you can email their abuse team at abuse@realitychecknetwork.com with the same information.

I’m disappointed someone has used our content is such a blatantly negative and criminal fashion, and I hope their host responds quickly and appropriately to this issue. None of us want to have our virtual works associated with fraud and victimization of innocent people.

****UPDATE 2: VirtualGet has been “dealt with” according to emails sent from administrators at the hosting company to complainants as a result of the email campaign. They website has been disabled or “down for maintenance” and offers this red-letter explanation on their home page.

“Registrations have been temporarily suspended due to members signing up during our development phase. Update: We have taken the store completely offline until we get things straigthened out. There is alot of misinformation about fraud which we would liek to address. We had 0 traffic on this site as it was for demonstration purposes only to show a client what the commerce script was capable of. Nowhere on the site were users able to put in billing information. There were 5 accounts created other than the development and system accounts and they were all created today. They have also been removed.

The products on this site have been loaded for visualization purposes only. Please contact support@virtualget.net (update: the mx server was not even setup for emails, we appologize, it now works) for more information.

To all product developers and creators: we apologize for using your content on this site, it was added via a crawler to populate the site. Rest assured, we have not sold ANY of your products and do not intend to display them without your permission, it was an automated mistake.

Any complaints sent to the host of the site and the registrar have been dealt with and we apologize to anybody who came across the site during its development phase.
- The Administrators of VirtualGet”

This is a powerful example of the collective of Second Life residents moving swiftly to demand an immediate resolve. I congratulate you, Second Lifers, for a job well done!

Greetings Phaylen,
I have been a resident of second life now for just over three years and have loved every minute of it. I also enjoy reading about the experiences of others on this same platform which is why I am an avid reader of many blogs relative to the universe of SL. I always associated your name with Linden events and the first time i met you was when I planted a flower in the memorial garden for my friend Kim during the Day Of Remembrance but as I imagine you meet many people, you probably don’t remember me but you were thoughtful and helpful when I couldn’t get the command right for the hover text display.

Since your Birthday Good-bye article I noticed that your attitude about anything to do with LL changed and you have become highly critical of them their events and decisions and i have to ask although it’s none of my business what prompted this. This seems to be a ugly new fad for people to write as though their words hold some substance to LL and in an effort to have any effect they write as coarsely as possible, and as you just stated in your most recent article, to “Incite a reaction or feel important.” I am not judging you but given your history in SL and with LL I would think that you would use your voice in support and/or praise given you have had almost 7 long years here according to your profile and if I am stepping over my boundaries I apologize, but I am saying what others are thinking. You seem to have taken the same route you are complaining about and that many other have by biting the hand that feeds you. I’m not asking for details or drama but I’d like to know is you could shed some insight on why you people who have a voice and a profile end up using it negatively instead of responsibly. I think that is abusing your voice and in incredibly poor taste even after you have left their employ if I may say so. I don’t want you to think I am attacking you but I would really like to see some changes across the SL relative blogs to the positive rather than rehashing every mistake LL ever made. That can start with you.

Kindest Regards
*Name withheld for privacy*

It is always nice to get emails every once in awhile from a reader, but I will admit that when I woke up this morning it was not what I expected. However, I am publishing it in it’s full context because, not only is every opinion valid, appreciation of those opinions, whether is agreement or otherwise, is incredibly important.

This gives me an opportunity to address some of what has been suggested, perhaps something I said has been misleading at some point, or my intentions misinterpreted. Obviously, a correction is in order. To this fellow resident I have this to say:

I am not, nor have I ever been under the employ of Linden Lab. I have been a volunteer on community events but I am a resident just like you. I have openly expressed my gratitude for all of the opportunities I have been given as a result of my participation over the years. Certainly, without Second Life, none of those would have ever found their way to my virtual doorstep and I haven’t once forgotten that. It is apparent to me that you are passionate about Second Life. While I make no excuses or apologies for the things I have written, my intention has not been to “attack” Linden Lab on any level. As a resident I, too, share that passion and sometimes I utilize this blog to share my thoughts and observations on the topics associated with Second Life and issues that impact me (And every resident) as a collective. This is my personal blog, and the only responsibility I have is to myself, or as the Great Shakespeare once said; “To Thine Own Self Be True.” There seems to be this curious impression that everything I say should possess a predilection to Linden Lab, and when I question something or offer my own thoughts that conflict with what is occurring or I voice my disagreements with choices they have made, that I am guilty of Mutiny. That simply isn’t so. You are not the first person to come to me with the belief that I must have been fired, or I must be angry at someone internally, or that my words are motivated by something bitter but otherwise unspoken. None of that is true, so I am going to respond to you publicly for anyone curious to read. My priority as a resident has always been, first and foremost, the community to which I belong and share this world with. My history reflects that. Community means everything to me in Second Life. I cannot begin to explain how I am flabbergasted each day by the creatives, by the wonderful new innovations being pioneered with each passing breath, by the initiatives people are taking for various grassroots causes, be they political or personal. I am honored to be amongst them.

That said, my blog is my own voice, not representative of anyone’s voice other than my own, and most certainly not responsible for how others chose to use theirs. I value my right to share, indiscriminately, my thoughts and feelings with the same passion that motivated you to write to me, and I will continue to do so. Hundreds of other bloggers and journalists share their own opinions on the web every single day and I should not be singularly held to some imposed public responsibility clause, nor should I have to inhibit my passion for fear it will be misinterpreted as “abuse” of my voice. Why should any rules apply to me that don’t apply to anyone else? I have no more responsibility, or for that matter, entitlement, than any other person in the metaverse, and I thank you for the opportunity to clarify that.

Phaylen

A few folks at Linden Lab still think it’s 2003 - or they’re trapped in that mentality. Back in 2003, Linden Lab had a large role in the Second Life community. They interacted with us every single day. Town Halls were small gatherings wherein you had some laughs and talked about the latest news. A linden would stand at your side and troubleshoot an issue with you. A griefing report often resulted in Lindens popping up around the grid to ensure that a remedy was delivered, and stability was restored immediately. They don’t do that today. It’s impractical to expect they could. There were one hundred of us then in total, with maybe a 45 concurrency. Today that reaches upwards of 85,000 + at peak times. Responses to reports made, be it a bug report or a griefing report, are given by a bot generated email, and - I’ve said it before, I’ll sat it again if only for consistency, the vast majority of Lindens present in world refer you to the F1 key for any help you need.

But, here’s whats bugging me. I’m not a Lab basher, please don’t misunderstand. I leave the forum trolling to the others. However, I am an observer, and I do have an opinion. Sure we all have those, except some explicitly use theirs on the official forums and Linden’s Blog post comments in an effort to make feigned insults or snarky gestures solely to instigate or aggravate a response from a Linden so they can feel acknowledged. It’s a typical but petty procedure, and often leaves those environments with a hostile air to them, and there’s not much constructive feedback being gained. It’s the “I wanna” people for the most Part. “I wanna say words so someone says something back.” “I wanna be intensely critical so I look fearless a Linden Moderated area.” “I wanna Linden to respond to me! Validate me!” I still think it’s why most people do not participate in official areas or offer relevant feedback from which so much information could be gleaned. It’s been that way for as long as I can remember now. Maybe that’s why a wall has been built between the community and Linden Lab.

Each time they make an announcement that has anything to do with the community, It just reaffirms to me just how far their awareness of us has drifted. It also tells me that they apparently don’t realize that we’re not just 100 people anymore. But here is the paradox. I absolutely see that they possess a keen awareness of the size of our world whenever I go looking for help. Press F1. Auto generated responses. Surveys on login screens: “Is your Second Life experience getting better or worse?” But when it comes to community, their finger has slipped from the pulse. They’re trying to organize these little show and tell events (which we had in 2003!) with things like Modavia Fashion week, or silly supposed-to-be-fun-but-isn’t-really little contests like Resident Choice Awards. Both efforts have incited far more public criticism than praise, but Linden Lab, aren’t you listening? This might have been fine in 200 when it was more like a large-ish dinner party but now we are a global community of richly diverse people with a spectrum of interests. You have opened your doors to thousands of entrepreneurs relying on your platform for real success and the exchange of real money. It’s apparent to anyone who is associated with a designer in any facet, whether it be an acquaintance in Second Life, or a follower on their twitter, or a friend on Facebook that Fashion Designers felt their efforts diminished in the face of your Linden Created fashion extravaganza that alienated far more designers than it attempted to include. I’m sure the few who participated appreciated the official sanctioning of their product, but even more people who are investing great amounts and resources in their start-ups are asking you why. Why would you deliberately create an event that cannot, by the sheer size of Second Life in 2009, be all inclusive. Same with the resident choice awards, your blog-driven popularity contest intended to “Spotlight things in Second Life that haven’t been discovered by the majority of users” which ultimately created so much contention in the Second Life community that some of the winners endured merciless backlash as a result.

With Linden lab sticking their finger in the pies of various industries, it is no longer seen as community empowerment. In a world where people so many run businesses, be it in fashion, modeling, architecture, art, gaming, content creation, a world where people start out on a fair playing field and world hard for their returns on their products, you are no longer enchanting us with your activities, you are handing out commercial endorsements. You are giving a few your stamp of approval and not the thousands upon thousands of others the same thing. With each opportunity to unite the community, Linden Lab has instead created something that effectively blows that concept out of the water, further digging the massive divide between Linden Lab and the traditional Second Life user. This is not a new approach for Linden Lab, nor is it the first time anyone has said something in opposition of that approach. From way back when Linden Lab decided to display the photographs of a few Second Life Avatars on their their header, a lot of other folks posted that very day asking “why?” and even more asking “Why not me?”

The showcase is also one of those things that has done more to hurt the community than help it. With as many locations, stores, machinima, and whatever else you can think of being put up in lights, there’s countless more that haven’t been. It’s not a valid resource for information because it is so undeniably Linden Lab’s taste - and not entirely representative of the Second Life world or community.

Let’s not get confused here. I’m not claiming that there’s some intentional picking and choosing going on here. Although it was even a shock to me to see an advertisement for Azure Islands where the Message of the Day once sat awhile back. It’s becoming more obvious that we are a mere grab-bag and Linden Lab is really reaching in deep, and at random, to pull anything out to at least appear as though they still maintain an interest in community. And with their hand in the bag they shoot themselves in the foot every time. I’m just not sure anyone is there that knows what it’s like to be a part of the community today. Without question, many of my friends from early on have gone on to become Lindens - the vast majority of their time here is spent in an official capacity executing their duties, not as residents, and so much time has passed that I’m not sure they understand that Second Life has changed. It is not the same world they left behind when they transitioned to Linden Status. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my frieds, and i can tell you with the utmost confidence that we are fortunate to have such passionate and dedicated people working behind the scenes as they do! For the sake of full disclosure, most of them do not work in the sector of community but in other areas.

That said, I began to suspect long ago that some suit behind a desk was sitting there in his downtime thinking of things to do. Fun things! I believe the Lab always has the best of intentions, face it, if they had otherwise it would be a bit like self-sabotage, so when that occurs it’s always inadvertently. I began to think that someone with no idea who Second Life is - let me state that again for clarity, it was not a mispring - WHO second life is, you reading this, your friends you will speak to when you log in today, the musicians whose event you will attend with those friends, the designers whose shop someone will randomly teleport you too, the pregnant woman on rollerskates who will swoop by while blowing bubbles (Saw it!). We are Second Life. Not a few of us. Not just the people we like. Not only those who read the blog or visit the forums. We are a collective, despite our respective social cliques and preferred communities, we represent something much bigger than Linden Lab is recognizing. We have transcended the boundaries of Second Life and embraced social networking as well, we are plurkers and twitterers, we are bloggers and journalists, we are filmmakers and businesspeople we have opinions, ideas. We are a collective. Second Life is our common ground. Linden Lab is the provider of that platform that we call home on the web.

In the same that Blizzard provides a platform for those who dedicate 9 hours a day raiding dungeons in World Of Warcraft. But Blizzard does so indiscriminately. The don’t spotlight their “Best” crafters, or publicly promote a guild whose name they found amusing. They don’t ask their community who their favorite player is. They stay out of the fray and focus on providing phenomenal content for their customers. They understand their role as providers of a service, and choose not to meddle in the community and pit one sector against the other unless it’s in a PvP Match. Everyone starts out at level 1 there. Everyone has the same opportunities. How far you go is up to you, not whether or not Blizzard promotes your new how-to book on their homepage. No matter what parallel you draw, you will see an explicit difference in the way Linden Lab interacts with it’s customer and the way most corporations do. To some, like the guy who owns Azure Islands, it’s a really great thing! To others, like the resident who just opened up a new hair store and is trying to build a business while her neighbor is featuring at some Linden Event, it’s not so great. In fact, it is discouraging to more people than it encourages.

My words seem harsh, but not altogether unjustified. I often wish we could go back to a time where there were 100 of us, and Linden Lab could openly participate in our world and it still be so informal, but when they changed the mechanism and set a new standard for all virtual worlds with a currency exchange and hundreds of thousands of accounts were opened by people who wanted to create their identities or forge a virtual business, they locked themselves out. It’s time they embraced their role as facilitator between customer and technological platform and stopped trying to integrate themselves into a community they do not know anymore.

I remember doing the Birthdays and thinking, there’s so many people out there on the grid right now, in this very moment, and they choose not to be here… it sent a pang of sadness through my chest. It’s because it is not 2003 anymore. The world belongs to the residents, and to each one it is their own entirely, and to each one it is unique. They populate it with the people the enjoy, the things the like to do, the hobbies they have, the goals they have set for themselves. Every person out there celebrates a different Second Life, and to no two people is it the same. Their awareness of Linden Lab and it’s “community efforts” have become as obscure to them as a sense of community has become to Linden Lab, and therein lies the great chasm between. Many people didn’t even know a birthday party was happening. Many more had such a detachment from Linden Lab that the fact that it was their birthday was irrelevant. It didn’t graze their orbit. Some simply didn’t come because it was Linden Lab, and those are the few who are the “I wanna’s” i spoke of before. Those who feel it’s more fun to draw virtual blood from a Linden with caustic words and sarcastic remarks than to celebrate their accomplishments as a resident.

Those who did come did so in the proper spirit, so it was incredibly heartwarming to experience. For me, specifically, it was a re-enactment of 2003. We upon Dallier’s hope each became familiar with one another, we collaborated, residents gathered for events, we got to know each others names, we shared a laugh and had a show an tell. I realized then how beautiful Second Life was, and how drastically, beyond those 20 Sims of the birthday, it had changed. Not for the worse mind you, but because it existed in many different incarnations all over the massive grid, in cultures and communities with people from around the grid who had created their own worlds as we had for the birthday - except they do it every day.

They’re doing it right now.

They’re doing it without provocation or permission. They don’t give a crap if they’re on a showcase or if their clothes are in a fashion week. This is the majority. This is the Mainstream, and these people are as much a part of Second Life as you or me, even if they don’t have a clue what company made it.

I’d like to see Linden Lab remove their thumb from the pie and return ownership of the world to the people who created it. I’d like to see them stop exalting one above another through contests and blatant displays that others in the same field perceive as endorsements or advocacy of one above another. It is not conducive to the global interest anymore, and not a constructive community movement. If you want to reintegrate yourself into the world that your predecessors helped mold ( I say that because so many of the original Lindens have long gone) then get a taste of what it’s like to be a resident and acknowledge the aforementioned. Before you understand what works and what doesn’t, you have to, as a resident, understand what people want and what they don’t.

So here’s my confession. When I heard about Rebel Hope’s recent copybot attack that copied three who sims, I was appalled. It’s so tragic when theft is thrown so blatantly in ones face, with little to no recourse. And then someone made the mistake of putting up a link to the forum where this viewer these alleged attackers had been using. First and foremost, I’d like to say that it was a horrible misstep. In reposting that link, access was given indicriminatly to people around the plurksphere, and huge majority of them are Second Lifers. It terrified me to think that such a link would soon go viral and we would experience a spike in copybotting around the grid… and we have.

I won’t lie. I went and downloaded the viewer. I will not tell you the name or provide you a link unless you are a Linden offical. I am not technologically savvy you guys. In previous posts, you have seen me state that I had experienced theft myself - having found my vendors on a neighboring sim in someone elses name. A name still in search. I hear stories about copybot. I have a general idea what it does. I’ve had friends endure one attack after another.

This time, I wanted to see for myself exactly what a copybot did, how it functioned, how it made me, as a virtual merchant vulnerable to it’s devices and what I could do to prevent it. I wanted to know to what lengths a criminal with ill intentions had to go to in pursuit of stealing goods. This whole time, through copybot rumor and myth, I had heard many different tales and even more conflicting stories about what it could and could not do, what was safe and what was not, and I never cared much to find out for myself… until now, when the threat looms closer than ever before and the rate of theft has increased to a frightening degree. One lady on the social network Plurk actually took photographs today of a man copybotting things right in front of her eyes. This sent shivers down my spine, but more than anything it made me angry.

So, I got the viewer. I installed it, and I logged in on an Alt Avatar and it appeared to be, right off hand, another well known viewer that is actually pretty popular! So, I presumed this was another myth that’s been perpetuated by people attempting thwart potential thieves (By linking to a bogus viewer) or actions had been taken to shut down all incriminating tools built into the viewer. It looked entirely ordinary to me.

I walked up to one of my vendors and went into edit mode. The pie menu boasted the same traditional selections, edit, take, more… So, I selected more, and there was the same old menus, inspect, mute… but something else had appeared, another option called “Export: one I had never seen. I selected Export and my file menu popped open prompting me to name and save an .xml file to my hard drive, so I named it and saved. I have no clue what an xml file is, mind you, and when i searched for it on my desktop and opened it in notepad, it looked like normal code from the guts of a typical web page. At that point I returned to Second Life, chose file from the dropdown menu and saw a new listing, an option to import Linkset. I browsed to the xml file (As it is the only extension it would look for, and got an error “Cannot create object here. Land owner does not allow it.”

You have to remember I was on my own land, but on an alt, and this character was not in my land group, so I had to buzz on over to a sandbox and import linkset again, and up beside me in mere second appeared my vendor, complete with my textures. I sat there and stared at it in shock, mostly because I had just stolen my own object but also because it was so simple that anyone could do this with no knowledge whatsoever of how SL works. It’s a three click process. It made me feel ill, because I knew if it were this simple for me, and I am admittedly pretty think headed, I imagine most other people wth bad intentions could easily copy large quantities of things in a very short amount of time.

I looked inside my vendor and found that the contents of it were not there. While a thief can steal prims and textures, they cannot steal any object, script or article of clothing inside the object it is cloning. That’s the good news. I was able to steal my camera building in one fell swoop as it copies linked objects as one whole piece, which is the bad news. Any object on the grid that possesses a designs, a craftsmanship, self made textures of your work, it is vulnerable to copybot. This means hair, even demo hair, ladies, prim clothhing, shoes, whether they are sculpted are not, they are at risk, because copybot DOES in fact copy sculpt maps and it preserves the shape of the stolen item.

There was a word in the upper taskbar that I hadn’t noticed before that simply read “ToolBar.” I selected it and it opened a window of features that would have allowed me to make my client undetectable - and I presume this means that others would not have the ability to see if a thief with an illegal client is in their midst. Another option asked me to rip textures, so I thought, “Lovely.. I am able to rip my own textures right off my vendor. When I selected it, it ripped the textures off my BODY. My CLOTHING, my SKIN, even the base of my hair and my eyes andit threw them up on my screen with teh option to copy them to my inventory.

At this point it made me incredibly nervous, particularly because i had accidentally stolen something that wasn’t mine to begin with. I had seen the devil at work here and knowing the implications such a has on our creatives in Second life frightens me. I logged out and uninstalled the client.

It should NEVER under any circumstances be that easy to steal something from Second Life. Why is there an export feature in Second Life allowed to function? Please educate me? What use could we possibly have for an export button? I’ve downloaded hundreds of thousands of textures into Second life, and never once have I ever, in all my sever years, possessed the desire or need to export something - what is the point? I cannot use these things in my real life, or in other programs. I hope someone can tell me that Linden Lab can institute a feature to prevent any exports from within the platform, regardless of your viewer. Was this something the criminals coded into their client entirely independently of Linden Lab, that allows it to reach onto the server and extract at will? That’s a terrifying concept. Can Linden Lab not introduce a blocker of sorts, or code that prevents exporting to thwart this activity?

And what about tracking. Is there any way for Linden Lab to tell what viewer residents are logging in with? Can they not recognize these illegal clients that possess these tools and refuse them access to the grid. Isn’t there a red flag they can look for and an error message they can throw up that says “This is an unauthorized viewer: Please find another viewer to Log into Second Life.”

Back to exporting, almost in no instance can I see exporting happening for legitimate purposes at all (I could be wrong, again, I am not tech savvy.) can’t Linden Lab trace unauthorized exports from the back end? Wouldn’t that be a great tool? If Linden Lab could immediately know when a resident is attempting an export from Second Life, given most of us with legal viewers don’t have that option. You know, one time I accidentally requested “Get Admin Privileges” from the advanced menu when I tried to TP someone who was not on my friends list, when I meant to select “View Admin Options” and a window popped up that stated boldly “You are not authorized to have privileges! This attempt has been logged!” I can tell you that scared me to death thinking i had accidentally brought forth the wrath of the linden Gods, and my name has appeared on their screns in bright red bold letter, flashing, and any minute they would descend upon me like ninjas and beat me with a Ban stick. Would it be impossible, in instances such as exporting, for a warning to be manifested to the individual attempting, or to log the event for investigation, obtaining the identity and the name of the file that was exported?

We have all lived under the great threat of copybot for so long now, and I am embarrassed to admit that I never really understood the full implications of it until this experience, and I don’t believe for a moment that there is nothing that can be done about it. While we as residents are largely left to our own devices in policing our communities and private disputes, the incident of stealing or copying virtual goods belonging to another user incurs financial loss to that user, and I have trouble believing that it is simply a misfortune that we as netizens have to live with. I’d be grateful if Linden Lab, or a representative of Linden Lab would come forth and say why this has been allowed to occur, and what technical limitations are preventing them from putting a complete stop to it from the back end. I’d like to have my confidence renewed as a creator myself. There certainly must be a way to stop providing access to illegal clients that utilize these maligning functions. Until Linden Lab speaks, I fear we are all left at the mercy of these people who use these clients to steal. And they will continue to do so until somebody at Linden Lab finally implements something that eliminates the client from even logging an avatar into Second Life. This is a Cancer on our grid, and no content creator is safe. For the fact that it is allowed to operate so liberally, I would like someone at Linden Lab to explain why. It hasn’t happened yet.

What will it take?

A popular trend in virtual performance over the past few years has been the formation and employment of Tribute bands. These are people who put on a show and lip synch while representing themselves as iconic rock musicians, and some of their shows are pretty phenomenal. I’ve seen Pink Floyd, KISS, U2, Guns & Roses and have heard many more have taken shape, bands like The Grateful Dead and Def Leppard. Is it legal? No, not unless they have a license use the music, to perform publicly and profiteer from that which don’t belong to them. Some of them perform with proceeds allegedly going to various charities, but without authorization and a valid official representative to police financial intake to ensure such funds are being used as promoted or promised, it is still illegal. I realize that makes me sound like such a Debbie Downer, but lets just stop and consider the aggressive mentality fostered in Second Life when it comes to our own intellectual properties. I have seen literal witch hunts forged by bloggers, I have seen people and businesses blacklisted at the mere suggestion they might have taken something that is not theirs. Sadly, sometimes the accusations are unfounded and the threat of DMCA has become used as much for legitimate purposes as it has been wielded as a griefing tool. But in Second Life, a world where everyone is now a businessman to some degree, legalese is becoming as prominent in virtual worlds as it is in real life, but why should it only apply to some, and not all? Why are we more forgiving of a good show of performers streaming music that doesn’t belong to them and soliciting via a fee or tip jar, but Heaven forbid someone take something of *yours.*

But the Intellectual properties being swiped left and right don’t just stop at music. There’s been an uprising of people stealing art from websites like Deviantart.com and using those portrayed therein to paste their Avatars face upon and parade as their own, uploading them to their flickr accounts.

Creatives in the Machinima industry, one I am more familiar with have apparently seen a spike in content that is not their own. From what I’ve heard there is a production of Twilight in the works in Second Life, and whether or not to has anything to do with the actual production, concepts or ideas, I can’t say, but I was pointed to a Twilight Cast group, and given it’s ties with the Twilight SL fan group, I think it’s sufficient to surmise that it does. Especially given their Avatars based on characters from the books and films can be found at http://www.twilightsl.com where they state that they are for sale, but proceeds benefit the SL Shakespeare company. Regardless, it must be stated that Avatars of characters that are copyrighted have just had the hatchet brought down on them, and they are no longer allowed to be sold in Second Life or on Xstreet without permission. Sorry Twilighters.

But Machinima has always been plagued with infringing material, and earlier on, I myself was guilty of that as well. Primarily due to my own ignorance. I used songs in some of the earliest episodes of DiVAS before getting the much feared Warning from Youtube. Fortunately for me, they allowed my content to remain online due to the fact that the owners of the properties I used were willing as long as I allowed them to monetize my videos with ads and such - which is fine, I’ve not ever solicited money for my films. They may as well. After that, I made myself learn to score for fear that I would be discredited as a creative if I used any content, audio or visual, that wasn’t my own.

But lets revisit Avatar infringement again just briefly. A famed content creator in Second Life who was renowned for making Avatars based on iconic superheroes just a couple of days ago had an inventory blowout where she gave away all of her content that would be seen as infringing. This came as a result of This post (link)in which Linden Lab announced that all content that infringes on, not only major brands, but also celebrity identities and fan-based creations of real world properties were now in violation of Terms of Service. No more Angelina Jolie shapes or skins, bye-bye to anything looking like a trademarked figure. No longer is it acceptable just because it’s virtual. And that is just how it should be.

It’s been a long time coming that Virtual Worlds started appreciating and protecting real world content creators from theft by virtual content creators. The same protection should, in all cases, apply in reverse.

Linden Lab cannot police the world, or in the instance of Second Life, even the virtual one. It’s got to be an unfathomable challenge to find a balance between trusting your users and policing them with a heavy hand to avoid possible litigation. I draw a parallel to the file sharing scandals of recent years, wherein Music Officials admitted they had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of people downloading material illegally, and it had gone on for so long and was traced to so many different countries that it seemed unthinkable - and impossible -that action could have been taken against every single guilty party due to the multitude of people engaging in the activity. That said, it does not absolve them of ALL responsibility to the content creators who suffer the consequences of Second Life residents using it as a platform to infringe, but they aren’t the only ones on the ticket of blame, but all to often people forget that. People have free will, and if they choose to use that in a manner that is criminal, we should pursue them. Linden Lab has no way to determine who is capable of what when someone creates a free account. They haven’t the ability to engage in some minority report type method to deny services to people based on what they MIGHT do. It isn’t simply a black and white case here, and the ramifications will effect everyone of us if they did decide that they were being to liberal. For example, to attempt to reduce instances of thievery, they may increase the charges incurred for uploading or require paid registration via a merchant database for tracking and observation of sales and product. For some, that may be a little to much like a dictatorship for their comfort. For others, they might welcome the additional protection.

Second Life and other virtual worlds are not done developing. There is still a long way to go, and content theft if not likely to ever come to an absolute end, except from an idealists perspective. With the good always comes the bad, and thankfully the bad is always in the smallest sector of any community, those who willfully beak laws and rules. Just like real life, there will always be someone who tries to get away with something, and sometimes they succeed. We as a community have to resolve what we, ourselves, are willing to sacrifice so that new avenues are open to Virtual World operators to actively - and accurately - squelch such behavior. There is no question we want results. It is without a doubt that such behavior has continued on for far too long with ambivalence, both on the part of Linden Lab AND residents of Second Life who choose to give some a hall pass in the school of infringement but admonish others.

There should be a much larger collective of merchants who are discussing this, not just in Second Life but from every virtual world. People express disappointment when content theft occurs but it seems that many still suffer from the if-it-hasn’t-happened-to-me-it’s-not-on-my-radar. People hear about it happening and people say “Oh, that’s such a shame… what do you think about this new hair I got?” Others are much more vocal in their protests, but some have nullified their own voices having cried wolf way to many times, ultimately inflicting more harm than good to their cause and reducing it to mere tabloid drama rather than a serious issue.

Others simply feel powerless in the face of it. It seems like such an enormous issue that it’s impenetrable. Content theft has happened to me a few times, most recently my Moxie Polano presentation video in which it was edited to feature someone else’s work at the end and represented as their own. I have had my work stolen in Second Life, copybotted by Wesleybottwo Dotson who left my vendors and June Dion’s demos lay on a neighboring parcel. Both June and I issued complaints, the stolen content with full perms laid on that neighboring parcel for 8 days before being deleted by the owner. Linden Lab never responded. Wesleybottwo Dotson is still active in Second Life, findable in search along side Wesleybotone Koch, maybe they’re related. This was a year ago.

For other residents, it happens ever single day. When we see a lack of action, we feel that our interests aren’t protected, our efforts not supported. And when we think no one is listening, much less doing anything about it, what do we do? Do we blame the Dotson/Koch brothers for abusing the privilege of having access to such a liberal world and by proxy to our content? Or, do we blame Linden Lab for providing them that platform and simply not doing a thing to resolve it? It’s a gray area. The set-in-stone rules have yet to be written - at least ones that are abruptly enforced.

But there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon with the new announcements. It is one small baby step for Avatarkind, but a big one for Linden Lab. It asserts that fact that they are aware that there is an undeniable problem, one that has been long unaddressed. Now that we will see Second Life Residents get taken to task over infringing real life brands and identities using Second Life Tools, does this mean that we are next in line? Will we be protected with similar rulesets that have now been implemented to protect those RL entities from us?

Only time will tell, but I’m optimistic. Recent developments suggest that this is finally becoming a priority. Regardless, it’s obvious now that they have to address it to some degree with the recent Lawsuit brought to the Battery Street doorstep by one of the largest independent businessmen in Second Life, Stroker Serpentine and a designer of skins and clothing Munchflower Zaius in a class action effort.

The bottom line here is what WE need to be protected from, both as residents and business people in Second life, the only place Linden Lab is responsible for policing such activity, especially now that they’ve thrown down the gauntlet and made clear they need to protect Real Life corporate interests FROM us. Are we not entitled to that same protection from thieves in Second Life?