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Content creators take a design hiatus

By Celebrity Trollop | July 24, 2006

Wanda Rich of PX2 wrote on her blog yesterday:

Due to the current climate in Second Life I am not prepared to make any new items that can be stolen by anyone without risk of punishment from LL.

Sorry to all those who supported and encouraged me durning the short time I produced stuff.

The shop will remain open - but I wont be adding new items until LL decide to punish thieves and show us they are punishing thieves.

And last week on Lash Xevious’ blog, she wrote about being sick of the entire issue but vowed to continue as an act of conscious defiance — at some point. Starley Thereian also took a break because of scams and theft.

This issue is the number one reason content creators at best lose the pleasure in creating new things, or at the worst extreme stop creating in Second Life altogether.

I don’t know if there’s a good technological solution for stopping texture theft, but honestly, filing an Abuse Report and even DMCA paperwork is fairly meaningless when the offender can simply re-register, reupload the stolen textures and start all over again — there has to be a technological solution to that problem.

Topics: External Resources, Opinion |

6 Responses to “Content creators take a design hiatus”

  1. This is silly. Now is not the time to stop creating. SL is growing at an incredible rate. If you stop creating now, you are missing out on an incredible opportunity. Content creators have the powerful ability to shape and form the world. Stealing doesn’t change that.

    However, instead of complaining to the Lindens about texture theft, you should take a look at the things that you can do yourself. If you are not already a a member, please join Caveat Emptor. Caveat Emptor is commited to rooting out fraud in Second Life. The Lindens are not.

    The Caveat Emptor office maintains a list of known practitioners of fraud. A talented scripter could easily convert this list into a device that would automatically ban people on the list.

    This is a problem that we can fix ourselves. That is what the Lindens believe; That is why they refuse to help us.

    Posted by: Stephen Lightworker on July 24th, 2006 at 12:15 pm

  2. You’re right…a lot of designers have banded together to try and stop the thieves and scam artists of SL….but banning means absolutely nothing anymore. NOTHING. Not when you can creat 1000 alts with no recourse, no verification, no limit. I’m sorry, but I on land you can only ban up to a maximum of 300 people…..how can you ban all of them? Theft won’t stop until LL finally puts their foot down and show force that theft will not be tolerated. Because as residents we do not have the access to ban someone from SL altogether.

    Perhaps you don’t know first hand how discouraging it feels when your things are stolen….yes perhaps the thieves win that way….but it is. When you feel that you’ve created something that is all your own…only to find it ripped off….it doesn’t necessarily get you excited to make something else.

    Yes, designers complain…because besides banning….what else can we do? We’ve grouped together, we warn each other…but with the increase of alts running around SL….banning can only get you so far. Sorry, but LL is the only one who can fix that.

    Posted by: Elika on July 24th, 2006 at 4:04 pm

  3. Without content creators SL will die.

    Stephen, what “incredible opportunity” am I missing? Your post implies its financial, but I was never in it for the money - I can make much more money IRL than SL.

    There is a meeting tonight with Phillip and several designers, I was invited to attend this meeting but I cannot see it achieving anything.

    Part of my RSVP;

    Hi
    I just thought I would write to inform everyone I wont be attending the meeting.
    The reason being I have decided to stop all content production in Second Life.

    I feel that in the current climate LL need to be seen as making some kind of effort in helping content producers - simply put this is not happening. People are stealing others work and nothing is being done about it. These are not isolated incidents - this is verging on an epidemic.

    Something in the system is wrong when I have to fight every step of the way for my rights - only to have any person steal my hard work without fear of punishment.
    With this in mind I am not willing to devote my time to content production in SL in the future, or until I see serious action being taken.

    Posted by: Wanda Rich on July 25th, 2006 at 5:03 am

  4. Content creators have the opportunity to have a hand in building a world that is new. Most creators don’t create for the money. They do it because they love SL.

    Just because someone copies your work, doesn’t mean that they are successful at selling it. Most cases of texture theft that I’ve seen involve shoddy craftsmanship and lousy store environments. Here are some things you can work on to differentiate yourself from cheaters:

    1. Customer Service and Support
    2. Customization Options
    3. Image and Reputation
    4. Marketing and Advertising
    5. Store Atmosphere and Environment

    Cheaters are lazy people who are looking for a quick buck. They won’t do the things one the list because it’s too much work. These people are a speed bump, not a road block.

    Please don’t stop creating; You’re hurting your fans more than you’re hurting the pirates.

    It’s your choice: You can be happy that you have fans or you can be angry that you have imitators. This is the price of fame.

    Posted by: Stephen Lightworker on July 25th, 2006 at 9:42 am

  5. While it is important that Linden Labs step up to the plate here, I think someone among the content creators may need to test the legal waters.

    While basic copyright protections may not be sufficient to make it worthwhile, some of you might consider registering your works. Every pair of panties? Probably not. Foundation hair textures? Absolutely. And with copyright registration comes greater protection - enough I would hope to make it worth the while to make an example out of one of these thieves and set their bank account back a few years.

    Posted by: joni spicoli on July 25th, 2006 at 10:09 am

  6. “Most creators don’t create for the money. They do it because they love SL.”

    While this is a nice notion I don’t believe its fact in most cases.

    If someone tried to organise a closed shop week, how many do you think would actually close off all sales for a week?

    Posted by: Wanda Rich on July 25th, 2006 at 10:51 am