Chic at Ebbe's Place

First off I am amazed anyone is actually reading my ramblings, so thanks for that. These pages are primarily for me, but feel free to peek over my shoulder.

New Open Sim grids are popping up. Some perhaps planned for awhile, others perhaps (I have no inside intel at ALL) taking advantage of what seems to be an optimum time with the SL New World announcement.

If you have read some of the articles I linked to earlier in this post list, you will have noted that some folks feel  -- OK, let's call it TNW as I am tired of typing -- is not good for OS. Little more R and D shared is one possible downside. TNW will be very different; that hand held device mention has me betting on web-based as in Cloud Party which worked nicely by the way.

I haven't really been on all that many OS grids lately, IW being the biggest is the one I am in more than others. Some look promising, others that have not opened are already sending up red flags in my field of view with screenshots from other games (definitely NOT open sim) on there coming soon entry. Remaining photos are all stock and real life and that isn't working for me either. So we'll see.

I have also been talking to folks who HAVE spent more time in the OS grids and some reports got me thinking.

We all know it is wrong to take copyrighted photos from the web, upload and sell as "your art". This is just one scenario, there are others that are less than optimal (uploading free to use mesh for example and selling doesn't work for me either).

Stolen stuff in all layers of awfulness has been around SL forever -- well as long as I have been here. I can see that it would be very difficult to find it all and take it down.

Now here's the thing :

I heard from someone recently that a new grid has obviously stolen graphics (we aren't talking free to use stuff like CG Textures and other graphics sites) in their store. Actually the whole store was stolen graphics or at least appeared to be. The new grid owner was informed of the shop. The answer from the top was that there was nothing they could do about it without a DMCA claim.

Now, let's think about this. In a long discussion with a few RL folks we hashed over what ifs.

IF the TOS states that you may not upload items stolen from the web (it does in this case), isn't doing so breaking the TOS? Doesn't that avatar account need to be deleted?

If "I" were Queen, the answer would be yes. I have had graphics work (lots) stolen and used on other people's websites. One had the audacity to claim they had made the works and were trying to sell customized versions. They actually had no way to do this so that makes it fraud besides theft. I called them up across the country and asked them what they thought they were doing? I got the boss eventually. He said, "how do I know these are yours?"

My answer:

It isn't difficult to prove you made something. All programs have active files. The owner of the active files is in my mind the maker. There are some obtuse scenarios that might negate this, but they are a very convoluted trail.

And here is my point. New grids CAN start policing now -- when they are small and it is easy. If it were my grid? The people would be deleted and their goods with them. That should be stated in the TOS of course. It would make me happy to see the rule in print.

It won't happen naturally. Too much hassle to check and receive evidence -- decide etc. Instead the powers will hide behind that DMCA screen. Since few people would ever bother to go through all the hassles, it is pretty much useless.

In a perfect world we would be more honest.
In a perfect world we wouldn't try and cheat.
In a perfect world we wouldn't ignore the problems.

Alas, this is not a perfect world.