Recent Comments:
Why virtual thefts matter
Massively
Jan 22nd 2008 1:04PM I really wish most of this case revolved around something more substantive than the cloying fanboy cultishness that has become a trademark of Second Life.
While the real issue of electronic crime is a tangible one - what has been happening in SL is the furthest thing from it. It is, in fact, no better than a straw man situation that detracts attention from real electronic crime.
SL is a game service. Sorry...yes, you read me right...it's a game. Provided by Linden Lab, who retains full and complete rights and control over everything on their servers - which in essence means everything in the virtual world. This virtual world is unsecured, with no economic or privacy protections in place, and poses perhaps the most high-risk investment outside of real estate in suburbab Baghdad.
The economy, being unsecured and pegged around a make-believe "Linden Dollar" which has no standing as a legal currency, has already been rocked by bank fraud, ponzi schemes, and get-rich-quick scams by the score.
And it's managed to drag real world law into the picture...which, of course, will end well for everyone involved. Especially once the RIAA, MPAA and the rest get a whiff of what's happening with SL DJ's, people streaming video content, and the wholesale ripoff and marketing of real world products in SL.
SL is NOT the future of the internet. It's being abandoned by the companies that ventured there, simply because their is no payoff. It's a solipsistic, vanity-ridden chatroom that has managed to create an incredibly self-righteous class of whining users whose entire existence seems to revolve around patting themselves on the back about how revolutionary they are for adopting this new platform...and buying shoes.
I spent two long years in SL.
I should have spent them on the beach.
Six of the best for copyright violators
Second Life Insider
Nov 6th 2007 6:40PM The questions that need to be asked in this piece concern the far-reaching impact of such a suit. On the surface, it seems to be a great step forward for content creators...but only on the surface.
Take a look at the sheer numbers of derivative works that exist in SL. From Star Wars and Star Trek, to superhero costumes, to entire sims dedicated to exploring some author's copyright-protected universe.
If Brian Herbert decided to exercise his copyright control in SL, every Dune-related sim would either vanish overnight, or be forced to accept whatever licensing arrangement Herbert chose to apply to their use. Ditto for LucasArts and the entire body of Star Wars material contained within SL. The list goes on and on.
Now, simply do a search using the terms "rolex" or "nike" or "ferrari", and sit back and start counting the number of trademark violations that scroll down your screen.
Speaking of copyright, consider the implications for every single DJ that spins in SL. Have they secured the proper licensing from ASCAP/BMI?
Do nightclub owners need to provide that blanket coverage for their properties in SL?
Since in RL, a business owner is forbidden from playing the radio in his public areas without paying the proper license, do landowners whose parcels are accessible to the public have to worry about licensing?
Let's revist the DJ arena again...since a DJ in SL is technically a streaming webcaster, shouldn't they need to secure an internet radio license?
Dragging the DMCA, which has been used in alarming ways as noted by the EFF, into SL is bad news...and not necessarily for the "bad guys".
