MORE LIKE THIS please

http://secondslog.blogspot.com/2008/02/transcript-from-frank-taneys-q-in.html

Great article, Jessica, and thanks for coming!

is exactly the answers I would like to have and you skipped riiight past them
Please can someone answer this for me please?

Just wished you also covered trade law (trademarks and trade secrets) – or at least made it clear that those weren’t originally covered by the lawheads. (if that’s actually the case).

Copyright is a given. Anything you create, no matter what it is and it’s by your hand – is automatically copyrighted to you (in the U.S. anyway) whether you register it or not – so I’m not so worried about that. Patents – well, you have to apply for one and be awarded. And those are more for functional design that generic decorative ‘design’ – such as the color a sheet turns after it is stained with bodily fluids or something silly like that.

But… trademarks are infringed heavily in SL – and I don’t mean the people that slap a Nike logo on some prim shoe they’ve created.

But rather in-world companies that have created logos and trademark in and for use inside SL. Stroker bonehead… I mean Serpentine is throwing around cease and desist notecards to anyone that mentions the term “SexGen” in any of their advertisements.

Pffft – I say bring on the lawsuit, buddy. The term “Xerox’ is a trademark, but is legally in the public domain as long as you don’t capitalize the first letter. The same for the word “spam” and so on. And, believe it or not the term “PC” (as in a computer platform description) is actually a trademarked term of IBM. But yet, we all throw that term around like crazy. It’s now public domain (just like “sexgen”, “sex-gen” and “Sex-Gen” in my opinion – and that’s my argument.)

Yo, Stroker, send along a copy of your registration or patent paperwork. Otherwise, STFU.

So If I use the word sexgen or sex-gen or even Sex-Gen, he can kiss my ass because the only way I’ve ever seen it used in his products is as “SexGen”. Besides, I’ve purchased some of his toys. I can’t believe how sloppy the quality really is.

Which is, in fact, the argument for trade secrets… and trademarks because word-of-mouth is a powerful thing (hence why Eros’ stuff (Stroker Serpentines lousy builds) actually still sell well.)

Hmmm… I am highly familiar with trade law in RL… but damned curious about how it is effective and protectable inside SL – because trademarks could technically be ‘copyrighted’ as well, but trade secrets… now there’s another whole can of worms to deal with.

…And, in SL, I do have genuine trade secrets… for many things, including how I build, market, advertise, and so on.

heh – oh the joy!