BEWARE: Stolen Textures In Second Life!!!!!

Hm. I'm not sure whether it would violate TOS or not. It definitely wouldn't be slander as long as it's true -- it's not slandering Bill (random example name) to call him a thief if Bill really IS a thief.

Yes, let's scold all of them. Using propaganda, mass hysteria and public sympathy for your personal tragedy to accomplish a goal, even if it is well-intended, is shameful, IMO.

well I would seriously look into something like that before it starts. just to be safe. I am not sure and offsite can get be enforced with the tos or not but inside can just want everyone to becareful.

It is? Scenerio: Creator A reported me for stealing a product of a friend of hers. I make the list for "stealing". The rest of the story is the original creator of the product gave it to me for resale. The terms are private and will remain between the original creator and myself. How do I get off the list? Am I on that list unfairly? I'm being blacklisted for "hear say". Fair? Just? What rights do I have? What recourse can I possibly have that doesn't split this community in half with that side that believe me are there..now fighting with those that don't. Why would you do this on purpose because LL won't?

This list is helping to destroy my business and you think this list is an obligation of the community?

Do what any real business owner does:

Document.

Document, document, document.

"Um, that's interesting, because here is a log that shows Creator A gave this to me for resale."

In the real world, you're expected to CYA precisely because false accusations can happen, among other things.

Edit: Honestly, it stinks because it shouldn't have to BE so anal, but what else can we do? Just let texture thieves more or less destroy a whole portion of our SL experience?

*smiles* put me on the list. I'd rather be blacklisted with theives than a lynch mob that is running scared and is being driven by hysteria. If you think this is really the answer and can't wait to see who makes the list, then you truely have missed the point. Hurt who you want, I won't be part of it.

I will help teach and inform new and old users of SL on how to be better artists and business owners. You all can take the list and put it in the dark of night. You insult the SL community with it's existence.

Yes, I'm driven by hysteria. A moment ago, I jumped up and ran around in circles screaming, "The sky is falling!"

It helps me to post.

Anyway, seriously, it was just a thought. An idea.

Rather than collapse into hysterics and (ironically) accuse others of hysteria, why not propose alternate solutions? If not this, then what?

Or if you think there's no problem at all and nothing to be concerned about, why not share your reasons?

Im really sad . This whole thread I believe is a bad thing now .. Instead of exposing we have actually educated people on how to do somthing they shouldnt be .

Okay, so its been around forever alot of you say , the thing is I dont believe most people are aware of it or how to do it . I know I wasnt . Now many more will be opening up things that dont belong to them and recreating others work. I for one wont be creating any more totally new skins for second life. The thought of competing with myself makes me sick . So , I guess you will be seeing alot more of haley from me if anything .

This has totally put a dark cloud over my Sl existence .It was always such an exciting feeling to begin somthing new ..somthing unique now it seems worthless . Just another buck in the bank now . I guess the old saying "locks are for honest people" is very true .

ONe of my closest friends in SL designs skins and sells them and clothing out of her store in Hamlin. She is rarely on SL anymore as the theft of skins has really ruined the experience for her, that coupled with the fact that there the Lindens refuse to intervene in these matters. I know how she worked for weeks making her photo realistic and fusion skins, and it is seeing her work sold by others that really rankles her, not necessarily the financial loss. I am seeing that in the comments by other designers here as well.

How about the opposite -- positive endorsement instead of lynch mob.

Start some sort of 'genuine skins' group. Upon joining, one can put their avatar skin(s) for some sort of 'seal of approval' check, which is basically a visible confirmation that all other members of the group recognize this particular skin isn't a derivative work off their own skins.

e.g. let's say skin maker A starts such group. Since he's only member at the moment, the 'approval' sign doesn't really mean much. Now, suppose skin maker B decides to join. As existing member, skin maker A verifies the skins of maker B aren't made using work of maker A. Now, you have maker C join the group. Both member A and B check provided skins, and after verifying these aren't "stealing" from their own, issue the 'seal of approval'. Etc.

The larger such group grows, the more insurance you get that when you buy a skin with such 'seal', it wasn't copied from someone else. Now of course you cannot make people to actually buy _only_ such skins, but for some it well might be a bit of extra incentive to buy in these shops over others...

Okay, now we're getting somewhere. That could work.

Really, I just want, as an SL consumer, some way to avoid unwittingly buying stolen intellectual property ... of any kind, skins or otherwise.

That is always the balance - to inform people that need to know this is going on, without providing too much information on how to actually do it. Unfortunately, those who want to steal find a way to do it, without any help. Will talking about this make some people aware that didn't know how easily they could steal stuff/ Yeah it will, but it will also help others who were unaware this could happen to be more vigilant both in protecting their own work with documentation should something happen, and also to be on the lookout for it for themselves and others. It sucks that it occurs, but ultimately knowledge is power.

Wow. This is better than a soap-opera. Fighting "hysteria" with "histrionics", I guess.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

heh, skinmakers union. not a bad idea actually, apply for membership, membership requires that you demo your skin line before release so that other skin makers have a chance to see and be sure it's not a pirate version after all. Second part, talk up the group so that people who are looking for skins know that buy buying from a member of said group you have a greater certainty that the content is not a ripoff at least from a source within SL. Also serves as advertising. Also for members, should someone outside, or even heaven forbid inside the group pirate a skin, you have a prexisting group of people backing you in recourse. Even if it's just getting the word out and witnesses as to release date of the original content.

Yeah, saving lives by increasing public awareness is self-serving and hysterical.

Cynicism and inaction for the win Alex!

So if this is a soap, who are you? Victor Kiriakis?

Texture stealing is causing lives to be lost? Good god, man I had no idea.

Or maybe you're just mashing together two independent posts and coming up with wild conclusions. But I guess that goes with the theme of mashing up Jeopardy! and Hollywood Squares

But thank you, "cynicism and inaction" are other words I could have used to describe the histrionics of the "woe is me, life is unfair I'll just give up" that I was referring to.

So I guess we're in total agreeance.

No whammies!

This is the only way such a thing can work. It has to positively reinforce and promote designers who agree to a certain code of ethics, not actively disparage or seek to destroy those who aren't comfortable with it (for whatever reason). There's too much chance of harming innocent designers with a blacklist and too much chance of it being used as a tool to aid selfish agendas. Any such thing would require very fair and thorough investigation and arbitration, both of which are impossible without access to LL logs. Any kind of guild or BBB has to be a carrot, not a stick. It also has to be open to anyone who wants to be involved and not become some kind of old boys network that seeks to promote only friends, and it has to be neutral enough that it can't be used as a weapon.

The problem inherant in any such plan is that it requires an enormous amount of work and coordination to get it off the ground, keep it running, and keep it responsive to people who want to get their work stamped with the seal of approval or whatever it is. If anyone wants to tackle such an undertaking, please do! I would suggest it be done for profit so that whoever puts the work into administering it isn't being saddled with a thankless task. A very tranparent, fair, and open seal program would be an excellent service for someone to start. Registering works or businesses could carry a nominal fee (small enough that it doesn't shut out new designers).

...and before anyone asks... no, I don't want to run it, but thanks for thinking of me.

Can someone explain to me why stealing textures is bad, but stealing designs is not?

for reference:
/120/ab/45168/1.html

The only way Linden Lab could protect textures is to create an entirely unique real time 3d engine. while an encrypted 3d engine may be a viable project if SL were to become a ubiquitous 3d web platform, currently, SL is a virtual world diversion for a few hundred thousand computer geeks. LL would go belly up if they created an unsupported 3d engine that crashed everyones computer.

Lost, I concur with Cristiano and anyone else who might have repeated it, that you should take legal action. LL should give your lawyer access to the culprit.

I agree, a group would diffinitely be a good way to get honest designers together... one people can trust that the works are origionally created by them

Baron was pwned.

skins can be stolen because with no clothing on the backed product is just the skin. when clothing is worn, the clothing and skin are baked together. the baked texture (naked or clothed) is applied to the avatar mesh. the texture is stolen from this point - which is in the 3d engine - with an opengl protocol sniffer.

the texture is not stolen from the sl protocol. anyone with the ingenuity of breaking open the SL client is too brillian to waste their time with a texture scam.

i would be willing to run this program. all members would pay me 10k L$ monthly membership fee.

takers?