Business in Virtual Worlds, Second Life

Plagiarism Today Weighs in on IP Theft in Second Life

A good overview from a neutral outside observer on the copybot issue in Second Life provides perspective on the issue over at Plagiarism Today.

Among their conclusions about actions that Linden can take:

* Fix the Permissions: Linden Lab has said that it is impossible to stop the use of something like CopyBot. But while DRM fails in the real world due to the realities it faces, if the RIAA and MPAA could control the laws of physics, they could probably concoct and effective DRM. However, even if it only stopped the current bots, it would be seen as an improvement. Complete prevention is not the measure of success in these situations.
* Streamline Abuse Reporting: The DMCA process at Linden Lab works, but it is a headache. Much like Google, they require a mailed or faxed notice, which adds both extra hassle and extra time to the process. They could streamline the process overnight by accepting emailed notices and electronic signatures, as per the ESIGN Act, and in the long run could offer even more streamlining by providing an in-game method for reporting infringement.
* Better Detection and Banning: Users of the software need to be certain that they are going to be banned. Even if they can not close the loopholes, they can likely detect the misuse and notify the copyright holders. This would reduce the need for community enforcement of copyright matters and, when combined with more prompt banning, would discourage the misuse.

They also make the following conclusion:

If you’re a designer in Second Life, it may be time to start thinking about diversifying or even leaving the service. Though all such worlds will have an issue with content theft once they reach a certain size, there are steps that companies can take to mitigate against and reduce the impact that copies have on the virtual economy.

These are steps that Linden ha failed to take or even seriously consider and that practically guarantees, regardless of community efforts, that the issues with copying will only grow.

If there is any broader lesson that can be learned from this situation, it is that cooperation between hosts, service providers and copyright holders is critical in bringing about change.

It’s still unclear to me whether there’s any cooperation currently between content creators and Linden. If not, I’m starting to wonder whether this isn’t the same conclusion that the wider community is starting to come to on their own. However, I’ve hesitated weighing in myself on the issue – wiser minds around than mine, although I’m still sitting on one of my pages long posts and trying to decide how to wrap it up! A complex issue, but in the short term, still leaves that gnawing feeling that in spite the great leaps forward in technology that Linden is making, they’re far more preoccupied with Windlight and stability at the expense of the in-world creative community.

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