I received a kiosk the other day that explained an initiative to increase awareness about Content Theft. I remember thinking it was cool, but it was a over a month away and I hoped I would remember. And then I promptly forgot about it. Luckily, there was an email from The League of Muses group, reminding it's members to Step Up. I encourage you to do the same. Below is information about this campaign. I hope you will participate. Feel free to IM me for a free Kiosk and on details about this very important initiative to protect Creators and consumers alike from content theft.
Step UP! is a campaign centred on a special day of action that everyone can
become involved with, and that can empower and inform people about the
problem
of content theft, and what they can do about it..
What
is content theft?
Content theft is when the work of a creator is stolen and
either sold or even given away without the creator's agreement.
Content
could be anything in Second Life. It could be hair, clothes, skins, houses,
furniture, transport. All of these have been stolen in Second Life. And much,
much more.
Content theft hurts creators. It takes away the income and
the credit that should be theirs.
Content theft hurts YOU - because it
discourages creators from creating the rich and valuable content that makes up
the world we love.
So step up against content theft - join with us in
saying "NO!" to content theft, and in supporting honest and honorable content
creators! Don't buy stolen content!
Wear the orange ribbon from now till
Step Up! Day on November 5th 2009. Organise a party or event for Step Up! Day -
or just ask the owner of your favourite club or location how they are planning
to celebrate Step Up! Day.
How to spot content theft:
Many owners
will give away examples of their products in their stores. And there are stores
that have low-cost and even free content to help newbies.
But there are
discount stores and free markets that may contain stolen items.
If the store
claims to be selling goods by well-known content creators at fantastically cheap
prices, with full permissions (to modify it, to copy it and to transfer it to
someone else), then it may well be stolen.
If price seems too good to be
true, it probably is!
Use the Edit menu to check. Right Click on the object
for sale, and see if the creator's name matches the name associated with the
product. It doesn't? This could be stolen!
Check to see if a shop is selling
mixed styles that look to be made by more than one creator. Right-click on a
couple of the products that seem wildly different. Do they have the same
creator? It could be stolen!
Look at the creator's profile. Did they start
Second Life last week - and yet they're already making fantastic clothes or
skins or hair? That content could be stolen - using alts is a popular trick for
the thieves!
What to do if you think something has been stolen:
NEVER confront the thief yourself.
Content creators appreciate your
support and your loyalty, but this will only put you at risk for being Abuse
Reported and cause the thief to switch locations and accounts making him / her
more difficult for the content creator to track. Creators need that time to
investigate and gather information to file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright
Act).
So - if you recognize an item that you suspect may be stolen property,
please take a snap shot of the item, save a Landmark to the location and include
these in a notecard to the creator you believe originated the item.
If you
think content in a location may be stolen, but you don't know where it
originally came from, contact the CCA at cca.report@gmail.com and they will
investigate quietly.
Get to know your favourite content creators
Drop them a notecard saying how much you love their work - they'll really
appreciate it! And building up a good relationship with the people you buy from
is an excellent way of protecting you - and them - against being the victim of
thieves.
Because when you buy stolen content - you're a victim of the thief
too!
As an artist, I feel very strongly about this issue. In RL, artists have protections under the law. Not so in SL. LL does not care. Please get involved. Content creators work hard to make us all look and live a beautiful SL. Help them continue to do so without fear of having everything they've worked so hard to create for us stolen from them. I know for some, this might seem like a petty issue. But theft is wrong no matter where it occurs.
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