The point namely is, that if you did copying yourself in the first place, no matter if it’s from open source, and then go baawwwwwing about your stuff being copied, I say, you’re a hypocrite. IF you use open source imagery, if you have copied only a mere one percent of something you didnt design, you should give credit where credit’s due. Even when it’s a mere “Inspired by” notecard included with the product or note on the vendor. THEN, you can complain ‘legally’.

Again, my earlier used example:
I have a car in SL, that cost a small fortune. It’s called a Saleen, made by the Fast & Furious SL car/bike designer. On the side doors, it features a graphic of some manga girl. Now, it is very clear, not only by it’s name but by every square inch of the thing, that this car is supposed to be a Seleen S7, an American supercar from RL. *nowhere* is this mentioned, or credited. I have compared it to photographs of the real thing, and it’s completely the same, lest for maybe the shape of some of the side air intakes.

As such, no problem for me, its a very, VERY nice car that I wish I could afford IRL… I have to do with the SL version sadly tho.

The second someone decides to copybot the thing, and sell it for lets say half of the price as F&F does, and F&F finds out and starts making a problem out of it, yeah that I call hypocrisy. They ‘stole’ it’s design in the first place, the ‘only’ effort they put in it, is making the object in SL, and figuring out how to place the textures to make it look right. (here ignoring the scripting, as in this case that’s not important; it *is* very ingeniously scripted, all credit due where it’s due.)

So, if F&F decides to file a DMCA or makes a fuss about it, what point am I missing if I call them hypocrite?

You say, everyone who photosources and has ethics… Here’s my point. Who can guarantee me they indeed have ethics and that their stuff isnt photosourced from legally free to use materials? I’m not calling the entire fashion industry hypoctites, all I’m asking… who can give me that guarantee it’s their own design? Every time I see a dress in any store on SL that I want, I’m not going to google for images to see if perhaps the design is or isn’t copied from the net, there is no way to check that, unlless you’re a RL fashionista.

One simply doesnt know.

In the case of the skins which I specifically mentioned… The realistic looking skins simply cannot be all hand drawn and be NOT photosourced, seeing the huge number of skins on the market out there. I’m an artist myself, and I know how horribly difficult and tedious it is to draw photorealistic skins. It’s a near impossibility. And I have yet to see a SINGLE skin store that cites a single credits reference. Again, hey, no problem there for me. But if I see complaints about content theft from that area, (as with all other possible areas of content creation in SL aside from scripting), I am curious to proof of the fact that they created it themselves, and proof of the fact that they themselves gave credit where credit is due. Freeware or not.

Again, I’m not pointing fingers at anyone. I’m just asking questions, (and I will keep asking them) because I am in doubt about this. I dont just assume someone has ethics in this land of the anonymous, as being anonymous brings out the worst in people as this very blog proves time and time again. In SL more then in RL, trust has to be earned. I learned that the hard way.

One last tidbit about the design vacuum… its not hard to be original, all it takes is some creativity.

It really takes the joy out of content creation to see your content around the grid without it being under your control. It’s not just a money issue. Some of the designers affected by it wrote about their experience trying to get their content taken down by DCMA. It was a long, irritating process that had to be repeated over and over, and left the copying designer free to just put the copies up AGAIN in another location. It’s enough to make someone put away their Wacom tablet for good and leave Second Life.

As for the “photosourcing” issue, I would assume everyone who photosources and has ethics either pays for usage fees on photographs specifically FOR texturing, or uses open-source images, or made the original RL garment photographed (like House of Nyla.) Finger pointing at SL’s fashion industry and saying they have nothing to complain about when their stuff is stolen simply because they didn’t create the item 100% from imagination in a design vacuum is missing the point, really.

He is creating a gift card system that will probably rip people off, its strange that he was commenting

The good ones look photorealistic, and are definately NOT hand drawn a-z. So where do the photo’s come from to create skins? The textures that are used to make lace for underwear? the textures that are used to make a nice paisley skirt?

Gooooogle perchance…?

Heh, be glad that someone sees you as worthy of being in a mall of yours. poor business sense imho.”

Try saying that when your customer notecards and IMs are being capped out by mall offers from places that have little to no traffic and look like a regurgitated chunk of the mainland with all the lag, plus strippers. And then you get screamed at by the customers for not getting their messages.

Try running a successful store sometime then reevaluate your opinion if it has any merit.

NOT true. Discounting the work it takes “up front” to create content, there is still costs incurred in selling the items. Everything that a content creator sells is sitting on their land (for which they pay tier) or on rented land/shops/stalls (for which they pay rent).

So, if you rent a shop for 500 a week and don’t sell anything (which does happen, believe me), you’re in the negative for that week. The following week you need to sell at least 1000 of product to break even. Most small shops don’t sell very many items. We aren’t all “Last Call” or “Sirena” .. the small vendors are just scraping by in many cases.

Heh, be glad that someone sees you as worthy of being in a mall of yours. poor business sense imho.