I found stolen skin :(

This really sux and I feel bad for any creator who this has and will happen to. As someone who has been in SL for over 3 yrs, I have a massive collection of skins as I am quite addicted to them. I recognize all the skins in the pics and who originally made them. I also know that Abyss/Naughty, for example, has had this issue before and have been rightly upset in the past. I know that there are these 'fakes' in world yet I will always support the original creator no matter how much I could save by buying copies. I only hope that there are others like me who will continue to support the creators and not the thieves.


Unfortunately no matter what world we are in, there are untalented idiots who have nothing better to do than to scam. Thanks for informing us about this and getting the word out as that's what needs to be done.

Has anyone tried to tell the sim owner yet? Maybe they can do something?

I made sure to IM the owner to say that I was appalled he invited me to rent in a sim that had stolen content, sent him the link to my website, and also sent him a landmark. I've since found out that the shop in the sim I found it in has been closed.

We were just there, and yes, it looks like the shop is gone....

Lil report to say that the guy has actually posted on my blog. I'm not sure if I should remove the comment or not....I'm starting to feel in deep. He's trying to distribute the base files now...this is serious.

What's he saying?

(I'm not joking by the way - I actually cannot read your blog without loading it, extracting the source code and reading that. I would advise you to fix that part.)

By Bonnie, at January 11, 2008 4:39:00 PM PST

Guys great job helping boycott the first place... I understand the sim this thief was in has already kicked em out to get the business-closing traffic to cease...

Here's the new place, feel like a repeat performance?

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kios/242/7/23

He posted his e-mail promising to send his source .tga files to anyone that wants them.

Oh and I just checked out his account, apparently the sim he was in got so inundated they had to kick him out for their own good...

His profile now says == SKINS ==
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kios/242/7/23

I do not think it would be a bad thing if the owner there were made aware of the potential risk of having this person in sim...

ugh I'm switching my blog now...I'll ahve someone redo it later

Sorry about that, it'll be open to read in a moment.

Contributing to the theft problem in SL is the bug that changes permissions of items when taken into inventory. This bug has been reported to LL on the JIRA more than 6 months ago and is being ignored by LL even though it is rated as a critical bug in the JIRA.

Abranimations suffered a loss as a result of this bug in which a very high selling item converts to full permissions (mod, copy transfer) when it is taken into inventory but when it is rezzed on the ground it displays correct permissions. We have demonstrated this bug and resulting change of permissions to full perms to several LL employees and have reported it. At first LL suggested the solution that all copies of this item be removed from the database using the UUID number, a solution to which we agreed immediately. We were subsequently informed that removal was not possible because every time an item is rezzed inworld it receives a new UUID number, rendering removal of content by UUID number an ineffective solution to content theft.

It is clear that the current system of content identification makes it impossible for LL to comply with content removal and take down notices pursuant to the DMCA and any assertions by LL that they will comply are false.

I contacted Philip and Robin informing them of this inability to comply with the take down provisions of the DMCA by removal of stolen content using the UUID but received no reply. We also attended a LL inworld bug triage meeting but were unable to discuss this bug as it was not on the predetermined agenda. The few members who seem to dominate the JIRA complained at our attempt to vary from the agenda even though clearly the permissions bug that changes items to full perms is one of much greater importance than ironing out flaws in the new search.

The JIRA system requires that we vote on whether we want a bug fixed and those bugs with the most votes will purportedly catch the attention of LL for a fix. We have voted, as have others, but its clear that a bug as dangerous as this that turns content to full permissions and adds to the pervasive theft problem in SL should demand repair without the need to vote on it.

Theft in SL is a major problem that LL is not only ignoring but is contributing to by the failure to fix permissions bugs and to introduce a content identification system that allows better identification of stolen content inworld so it can really be removed pursuant to the DMCA.

One visit to the BIB spots and mega freebie spots where you can see unintended content being offered full perms shows the amount of stolen content is growing in number. Even if LL issues a take down notice to one member pursuant to a complaint filed under the DMCA, it is usually ignored because the offending member can cancel the account that created the stolen content, create another account and continue selling the stolen content without ramification. If you look at the creator of much of the stolen content distributed in BIB and mega freebie spots many of the accounts are gone from the directory but the stolen content remains.

I urge all people who are concerned by stolen content in SL to voice complaints against this issue and the permissions change bug and to vote for repair of this bug on JIRA. I know JIRA is a nightmare that only the few who control it can understand, but please try to find this issue and vote. I found it here https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SVC-273.

Yup, tell the owner of the mall/shops. In my experience of informing them that a seller in their complex is hawking stolen goods they don't take it lightly and after looking into it, boot them.

put in a vote the moment i saw the link

if LL can`t/won`t take action against it and the only way to get justice by having everything officially copyrighted in the US(where it``s stored and distibuted on LL`s servers), then what is the point of making unique texture?

grabbing textures from memory (i`ll skip the naming part) and i could rip the grid with an alt on trough a proxy, get another alt and sell all the stuff and get away with it unless it`s copyrighted???

/me gets sick...

Sae, I'd remove his blog post, possibly with an explanation, as he's making you complicit by using your site to promote his activity. So sorry you're having to go through this for having the courage to take action.

in those two pics i see rac, gala nomine, and celestial skins, a few more look familiar as well. this is sad because new players wont know that this is stolen content. how in the he double hockey sticks are they doin this and getting away with it?

I'm obsessed...

but I googled for the guy's name... and found this JIRA post:

https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/SVC-676

look down to 01-Jan-08... two different people posted a SLURL and named this AV as a thief there. I don't necessarily understand this whole ticket, but it looks like someone is attempting to present documented evidence to the lindens of patterns of thievery by individuals...

The post is like

Real name: blah blah
Fake name: blah blah

I searched for the real name out of curiosity and found a ton of alts with just numbers after the name... I ARed it, I think that's against the TOS right?

actually not true, there was an incident a while back where a vendor was sellin rip offs of boots and clothing. once it was discovered, and ar'd by several of us, including the creators, a linden did come out and investigate.

wow...
not even a linden reply...
that link to the blog tho provides almost enough clues on how to rip with 1-2 google searches if your still clueless

This is insane. LL has to do something about this guy.

Well in the Linden's defense, that post does degrade to baseless accusations pretty quick in the comments... and they probably can't talk about legal issues...

But the fact that this person and his many alts are still valid accounts in world is a travesty.

I don't understand why they won't. What is it with LL that they think it will be so unwise to just ban this guy altogether and remove the store? They ban people for other things far less evil than this.

makes me wonder...

IF the skin creators would patent their work, would LL take action and actually remove the stolen content as the ball is then in LL`s court? (double court there )

I looked at the blog but cancelled it after 10 seconds because it was playing music. Does anyone but me find music on a website to be so annoying that they never even look at the website?

I once saw the actor who played Buffalo Bill hiking in the Santa Monica mountains. I quickly passed him before he has time to say "You don't know what pain is!"

Another person very near and dear to my heart no longer logs into SL because LL refused to do anything about someone who was slandering her badly in his profile. There is no justice.