A disturbing pattern emerging

As an established SL merchant of over 3 years, I have a pretty good understanding of the fears and and troubles that are caused by content theft. Some folks make their living from their creations and designs and are really good at it. This also unfortunately makes them a target of abuse in the form of theft. When I see anyone going through the heartbreak of having their things copied and given away for free or sold it makes me sad for them and worried for myself. Most of us feel the effects in some way or another as consumers and business people. There is no excuse for theft and I am wholeheartedly in agreement that we all need to come together and stop it by public awareness and supporting our shop owners by reporting content theft. This being said, I am quite disgusted and disappointed in how many folks have been going about things. I am well aware that speaking my mind is going to attract pissed off folks but I hope that this post will bring this issue to the attention of those who really care and are as afraid of the ramifications as I am.

First, remember with me...
Every one of us came into SL as a newb. We walked and talked like a newb, we explored in awe and confusion like a newb, we probably even engaged in some pretty tasteless behavior as newbs. We looked like dorks and dressed in things that we wouldn't be caught dead in now. Not one of us knew who the top designers were or the best places to shop and many didn't give a rats butt either. We were routed to freebie zones and newb shops in hopes that we wouldnt "taint" the good stores with our newbish wanderings. Even as we grew into full blown SL residents and business owners, we were bombarded with a slew of info that we were expected to know, and even more info that was never offered to us. Some were also duped into purchasing content creation items or BIAB's (business in a box) under pretenses that SL was like America- dreams can come true and anyone could own a business and get rich. You just have to work hard enough and invest. Some of that content was stolen or was being sold without the permission to do so. Most didn't think anything of it when the name on the item didn't match the name of the seller. For all they knew, it was their alt or partner who made it. I have spoken to many of my fellow shop owners, some very well known and respected artists who found themselves on the bad side of these transactions once too. But now with all the ways a thief can copy and reproduce items, the big stores that are being targeted, and more legal actions being taken, we are slowly becoming aware of the problems and most genuine people are taking a stand against it. So whats the problem?

In this era of content theft and fear, we seem to be expecting the new residents to know everything. For those who think this way, here's a reality check. There is simply too much information for a newb to take in and it can take months and even years to really get it down. They will simply not know the difference between a back alley seller and someone who has been on the cover of SL magazines. And dare I say, there are seasoned residents who simply dont care about the fashion/shopping world. Not everyone wants to wear designer labels. They buy from stores because they like what they have to offer and they can afford it. Some even shop from the nameless shops to support upcoming talent. (Allow me to point out that is how even the "best" in SL got to where they are today.) Yet many folks are being singled out and targeted as evil and bad.

Content theft claims & accusations are getting out of control almost as much as the crime itself. I am seeing more and more attacks on consumers and business owners by those who are self-proclaimed content theft police. I see it in large groups I am a part of, in general chat, and on blogs. They are clueless and careless individuals who accuse now, ask questions later...or even worse, never. They spew half-ass information to groups of hundreds to thousands of people without even investigating claims. This in itself is abuse and harassment and its also illegal. Some of these people even go to the extremes of verbal assault, harassment, and public humiliation in attempt to blacklist or ban people and/or businesses without the slightest hesitation. It reminds me of 16th century witch-hunts!
The most disturbing part of all? Its not just the "who the hell are you?" people that no one knows, doing it. Its well established residents who work for big name companies, bloggers with a huge following...basically people with a lot of social pull. While their motives may be sincere and they may really think they are doing a great service to the people they work for, they are doing some serious damage. People in roles of great power should be well informed and careful that they do not hurt those who are not. Those who don't are no better then tyrants and bullies. So why am I writing this? I mean, I am a business owner myself and should care about content theft right? Obviously. And I do. But I do not condone witch-hunts under social pretenses and I have just a story for you.

A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine was attacked by a person of such power in a manner that was unjust and uncalled for. I swore that I would make it a point to make people aware. This person that was attacked has been in SL for over a year and is one of the kindest souls you will ever meet. She spends her time in SL helping new residents get their legs under them and also works as a manager of a small shop and is very aware of the content theft issues out there and follows the standard guidelines that we give everyone- make sure the shop is not just a collection of others works, don't buy high quality goods from new players, and make sure the profile is legit. So you would think she was safe right? Wrong. Along a hunt one day she came across a cute little hair shop that was very well put together. It wasn't some back alley crap hole and the proprietor was the one listed on the items being sold inside the store. She made a few purchases of hair and went on her merry way. They were not the greatest quality but being pretty new to SL herself and her desire to support the little unnamed shops, she wore them. Even after moving up the fashion ladder to more name brand hair, she still wore that hair.
A short time ago, her and I went shopping and she found herself being accosted verbally by a person who quite frankly should have known better. She started making accusations that the hair she was wearing was stolen property of a top hair designer and she was a disgrace to her title. She continued to assault my friend even after she told her she was rude and needed to leave her alone. She insisted that it was not stolen and even took the time to find the landmark to the location of the store which she bought it. Now, we are both avid shoppers at the name brand shop this woman said the hair was stolen from, but if you saw the hair, you would probably never imagine it was a stolen remake. Maybe a similar but poorly designed version of the same hair style, but certainly not a copy (which is what she was accusing). Just about every fashion and hair style in SL has similar styles offered during each fashion season- that's what we call a fashion trend. But, not wanting to be a part of a theft she went to investigate this claim. We went to the location the LM took us and the store had poofed. We spent hours searching for the shop and the shop owner, which by the way still has a profile that looks like any other profile, but without a store. She has not been tossed out of SL by the Lindens, which is what you would expect to happen if this person was running a large hair store of stolen hair from top companies right? Well, our search was a dead end and it was getting late and she was obviously upset from being attacked by this person. We were going to contact the hair maker and take the hair in so that she could determine if it was her's the next day. The next day my friend logs in to find that her account had been suspended by LL pending an investigation of stolen property, which it was btw. She had been reported as owning stolen hair. Not making, selling, or stealing hair but OWNING it. This nasty person cost her a week of work for not just her but the store she worked for, and a lot of stress and hurt. This person would not in a million years purchase stolen goods from anyone and was happy to help bring the person to justice if that was the case. However, she was not even given the opportunity and labeled negatively for simply failing to not have every single item that is name brand memorized. She did everything she was supposed to and more.
What the hell? The lady who reported and attacked her had made the claim that night when I spoke to her that not enough people knew that content theft was a problem and that the only reason people wore stolen stuff was to be cool and get away with things. Who the heck does she get her information from? I encouraged her to find a new approach and not assume the worst in people. She agreed she was a bit harsh and left it alone. Apparently I was talking to a brick wall. I'm surprised I wasn't AR'd for offending her.
But this is a common misconception and popularly held belief. That everyone who has stolen property is intentionally buying it or selling it and they are ones who think its funny to do it. Is attacking people and getting them suspended really going to make them sympathetic to your plight? When did victimizing people ever work in our favor? Doesn't that make us just as bad as the ones victimizing the designers? I can tell you that I have ran into people wearing stolen goods or even selling full perm items in their stores. And I will tell you that I approach every single situation with the assumption that the person was innocent until deemed guilty.Most of the time, the person had no idea. Most of them even went with me to the person stolen from and helped give accurate information to them so that they could deal with it as they saw fit.
When approaching them, I do so by politely IM'ing the person I suspect is wearing something stolen and say "Hi there! I notice that your wearing ..... Its really pretty and the original designer is a very nice person. I am sure that you are unaware of the fact that the one your wearing however has been listed as a stolen item, but I wanted to let you know so that you can help us stop content thieves. Here is the name of the original designer and I encourage you to send them a picture of the item in question so that you can know for sure and help bring the bad guys to justice- don't just take my word for it. I wish you all the best and thank you for your time!" I then send the convo to the original maker so they know their stuff is floating around and who may be able to help them learn the source. I don't do so to get them banned or in trouble. Sometimes you will get told to F off or get ignored. This is a good indicator that the person knows or just doesn't care. But really its the exception to the rule. At least the original creator now knows where to look and you have done your part to help, without causing a shit storm of drama.
For those who are selling works that are not their own, I simply IM the original creator/s and let them know the location and name of the items being sold so that they may deal with it how they see fit. Most times the person doesn't know that they cant sell it, they assume its a BIAB or a free to sell item. They stop selling it and have learned about content theft in the mean time. Occasionally I will go back and find the person selling the items again, in which I notify the maker again and agree to be a witness if needed. I gladly take those people down cuz then they know its wrong and continue to do it. But, when we approach people in an aggressive fashion, the person will instantly feel attacked and anything you have to say will be ignored regardless of whether or not your point is valid. Thus the saying, "you attract more bee's with honey then vinegar".
The golden rule applies here though folks. Maybe someday it will be you who is accused without question and you will be deemed guilty..sentenced to wear the "A" of shame. Maybe your a well known creator or just getting your business off the ground. Maybe your a regular resident who doesn't own a business but your reputation will be tainted. Certainly no one is safe anymore. We need to put a stop to these behaviors and make educated decisions. I am not near as scared that my goods will be stolen by a two bit hacker with no sense of creativity. It just means I get to create something new and better and retire the stolen items. I am more scared that I will be attacked and victimized by those who claim to be the good guys. There is no recovery for that. I see several very good business owners who have been pushed out of SL by the harassment and some that are being accused of stealing their own work! Even some that are accused of copying something that only resembles the item in question!

I am not claiming to know all the right ways of dealing with content theft. I cant even begin to imagine the work its going to take LL and creators to deal with it. But I can certainly see what isn't working and instead of creating drama or problems for others, I choose to turn this issue into a positive one that has a chance to see results instead of more damage. I know I cant be the only one who sees this disturbing pattern emerging...

I challenge each of us to find a positive way to address the content theft issue without stooping to the violators level.

Lak



*Disclaimer Legal Jargon* Second Life (TM) is copyrighted property of Linden Labs and this blog in no way is affiliated with Lindens nor represents the thoughts and/or feelings of Lindens. No infringement is meant by the use of the term LL, SL or Second Life in any of my blog postings.

Product issues with the old and new viewers

So it seems that the newest "upgrade" has buggered things again and this time its affecting some of my product. Anytime there is an issue, I will post it here to make my shoppers aware that they can contact me for a solution.
So far, for the official LL viewers both new and old, the new release Kelly the Jellyfish has several tenticles that are not rezzing properly. This only started this week, so it can be assumed that the problem will be addressed and fixed. However, if you do use these viewers and are having problems with images and sculpts rezzing properly, you may want to hold off on purchasing it. The item has not been tested on any other viewer other than the official LL and the Cool Viewer.
If you purchase this item and need assistance, please contact me in world and we will get this taken care of.

FFC RFL Fantasy Faire 2010 is HERE!

The RFL FFC Fantasy Faire 2010 has opened the doors to the public! 9...yes 9 sims full of fantastical and delightful surprises await your gazes! This is our second year at the faire and boy are we stoked! After 3 weeks straight of sleepless nights, crazy hectic days, the payoff is sure to be rewarding. First, a why I relay is important.
~Why I relay~
My entire family has been affected by cancer at some point, including the younger generation- brothers and cousins. 7 years ago my grandma was taken from us by colon cancer. Now a new threat has reared its ugly head. My dear friend has been diagnosed this week with stage 3 brain cancer and given only 1-2 years if he is lucky. He is a survivor of lymphoma, which he tackled just 3 short years ago. He is a fighter and remains positive and proactive even after given the terminal diagnosis.Cancer has taken enough of our loved ones and left a scar on those left behind for far too long. I relay because I care, because I can, because we all should. I relay for those who have lost their lives, for those left behind, for those who will battle with positive hearts and strong spirits.

I have donated 3 items from the new releases to RFL. The first is up for auction and is one of a kind. Jasmine in RFL Purple :) Full mermaid avatar.The second and third are in vendors in my shop on mermarket sim...both are just 495L for the full avatar and all proceeds go to RFL of SL. Kelly the Jellyfish in Reina Seahorse take center stage! Both are new to my ocean avatars and come in special colors for RFL! They are a must see.

Other new mermaids and mermen have been spotted in my shop at the faire as well, but your just going to have to stop in to see :) The faire is open all week with many events and awesome things to check out so put on your low lag wear, take off the bling and HUDS, and do the newbie shuffle for a wonderful cause! Lets show cancer who is boss!

Here is a SLURL for the main landing
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fantasy%20Faire%20Central/128/129/23
and another for the mermarket, where you will find me :)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Mer%20Market/128/176/23