Open Letter To Sellers Guild

I'm putting this here because this involves a situation with someone stealing textures. I thought about putting it in the new products forum, but I think this place is more fitting; and due to the fact we no longer have General - a gurl gotta do what she gotta do.

1. A little while back my name came up amongst the sellers guild as having been the person who stole textures from Mischief and was reselling them.

2. I found out about this way after the fact from a very good friend. Meanwhile my name had been not only trashed about on the sellers guild, but on a fashion blog somewhere too.

My questions are many of course, but the main thing I want to know is this. Why did not one single member of the sellers guild even bother to contact me about this? I had recieved not one single IM - not even from the shop owner in question, not one email - not even a hey contact me in game post on my blog - nothing.

I'm left to clear the air some weeks or maybe even a month or so after the fact, (I still have no clear info when this all went down) and that only because a friend thought I should know what had happened.

Some FACTS that everyone should be aware of:

a) I have not been an active retailer, designer for over a year and a half. My last venture before I tiered down to basic was a car dealership business - NOT fashion design, having already since retired from that arena.

b) I have my designs set at FULL PERMS given out as FREEBIES at the New Citizens Inc Plaza. A group I founded to help noobies, and has now grown to own a substantial tract of land in the Kuula sim. The traffic there is hefty - just check the numbers daily.

c) I have never, and never would even consider stealing textures from anyone and certainly not reselling them under my name. I've been a designer. Why would I want to screw over another designer?

The reason I mention that my designs - clothing, objects and avatars are available - at FULL PERMS - to ANYONE who walks onto the NCI land - is that according to my information - someone who is bent on thievery and shenanigans can do the following:

Take my freebie outfit. Strip off the textures on them, and replace them with their own, or any others they may have required in not so legit ways.

How does my name come into this? Well stripped textures or not, my name still remains as the creator. Hence when this thievery was discovered - it looked like I had been the one to commit the crime.

I still don't know who was the actual person who ganked the textures from Mischief. It certainly wasn't ME. I've never even shopped there, much less run around ripping off textures from there. And I don't even KNOW HOW to strip/replace textures whatever any damn way to begin with.

Bottom Line:

All I'm asking is that before you go on your witch hunts and start trashing someone's good name around on your fashion blogs - send a fucking IM to the person in question and find out their point of view.

If they are a damn thief, they'll probably act like one when you contact them. You know what I mean, because we've all seen it time and time again.

Thank you to my friend who was able to partly redeem my reputation or whatever, and thank you to the owner of Mischief for believing her.

But next time - before things get way out of hand - at least give the person a chance to respond before raking them over the coals.

Since I'm not really a part of the fashion industry in SL anymore, I could give a crap if a bunch of people think I'm a texture thief. That's not what this post is about. I don't have a business that could end up being ruined even if accusations end up being shown as false.

But the next person your fingers point at COULD have a business that could be affected. So just use some common sense, take a deep breath and give the person a chance to - just a chance - to show themselves for who they are - thief or non thief - before you go on to bandy their name about in your circles.

Thank you for listening
~ BC retired

I'm sure some of us really care or read about what you are saying here.

nah, I doubt it

but I feel awesome for gettin it off my chest - so mission accomplished at anyrate

BRAVO BRACE!

we all know that texture lifting has become a huge problem, but to be reasonable, take Braces advice before you rip someone down.....If they have no morals to steal the texture in the first place, then its not surprising they'd point the finger on someone else.

Best first move to prevent stealing is to protect your designs the best you can. No Mod, etc...

I'm sorry this happened to you Brace. Those of us who know you, know you have integrity and would never do anything like this.

This is why naming names is not always a good thing. This is why the Lindens don't allow it.

Good luck with clearing your name.

Brace, Thank you for comming out about this. As a member of the guild i have seen and investigated several instances of this...unlike most myself and a few other member try to investigate these claims in detail, unfortunately this slipped past me as i didnt hear about it but there r several cases investigated that have found to be false but in the guild they seem to auto act on these claims out of fear. id say over half of the cases that i have personally investigated have come from people that join the guild make accusations...and in most cases ive seen that the person accusing has been the person stealing and pushing off attention to the original creator, accusing them of the theft. Or just a case of personal dislike or competitors, Its unfortunatly more common then not. However damage is done and ran with without investigation. Im sorry you got caught in this, and i pled to the guild that b4 the mass bannings...at least wait ..hell or even ask for the proof first, see it with your own eyes then decide.

I appreciate the kudos yall, but really it isn't about my own rep

(Although I will admit that I'm slightly miffed to think folk would think I'd stoop so low - specially after all the stuff I did in the fashion industry; promotions, shows, model training, helping new designers get on the map etc)

But this is about the tendency for people to hollar "thief!" before they've even done reseach like Asri mentions.

People who ARE active in the industry and who DO have legitimate businesses and good reps they've struggled to build, are the one's I'm concerned about here.

So just investigate as thoroughly as you can before spreading a warning about some thief. I'm highly upset at all the shenanigans going down with folks ripping people off, don't get me wrong.

So until/if/when Linden Lab gets off their booty to revamp the perms system - to what you can to protect yourselves.

*smooches*
- BC

Whoever knows Brace, like myself, know that she is a true lady that would never do such a thing as stealing. Brace has been in SL for a long time and is a friend of many and lovely person.

She is someone that the only thing she does is think about others first before herself.

I am glad she has the guts of speaking up and defend herself....

I have seen a couple accusations tossed out in the Seller's Guild group IM while in-world. And at times I have said to myself....sheesh this could turn into a witch hunt.

There is one group poster in particular that I am hesitant to heed because she seems to enjoy whipping up the masses.

Yeah folks have to be very careful.

And I recall when your name came up Brace, can't recall if it was on the forums or what, but I was like....nah I seriously doubt it. I don't know you but for some of your posts on the forums, but I did not find it very likely so just dismissed it.

Brace’s post goes along with something that I have been feeling for a while but, was unable to put into words until reading her cry. I believe the issue she is referring to is much larger and can be dangerous to those of you who earn your living here. I am referring to the complete lack of law and order in SL.

I had a good friend who was run out of SL by a stalker, who even contacted her in RL. Linden Labs did virtually nothing to stop the repeated harassment she endured. Those of you who earn your first living here, can have your name and income destroyed and, there is no recourse available to you.

You are dependent on the overworked and understaffed Abuse group to help you. Now, I am sure if you are one of the big name money makers, you might get some help. What of the hundreds of smaller people who may be making real money in SL? Will you get the same help as those who might be on a first name basis with Philip and Robin?

I think the world of the job the Lindens do in creating this virtual world.
This is a fantastic world. However, their expertise is in writing code, not law and order or society building.

We the residents are the ones who have made SL what it is by way of content. Philip Linden likes to tell reporters how the world is resident created. Yet, we are given no ability to defend ourselves from griefers or to protect our creations. We have no assurance to a fair and impartial hearing if we feel we were wronged or cheated.

Time and time again, we hear stories like the one I related above. Now Brace has her name dragged through the virtual mud. I don’t know about you but, my virtual name is important to me. I try to be a good citizen and helpful. I don’t want to see it trashed and not have any recourse to justice.

I know what it is like to be accused of something and be innocent. Due to a mix up of names by a Linden I was found guilty of an abuse I had reported. Believe me, it was my real stomach that reacted and the real Jennifer that got angry. I was able to eventually get my name cleared. However, if Adam Linden hadn’t taken the time to go back and research it, I would have been out of luck.

I second Brace’s cry about helping each other. I also say it is time that we the residents get a real justice system before someone is really hurt or loses real income. I know it is about income to Linden Labs. I can understand that. Just remember, it is your income that is at stake too.

Jen

Thisis the best piece of LLabs truth i read in a long time!!!!!!!!!!GOD! this is great piece of truth! You know jenn........................If LLabs even cared one gram for those have been bothered in rl and traced( i myself ) have been traced( or the asshole tried) without any good.Llabs better watchout out of one day they find themselves in a lawsuit in a muder case that puts them inthe seat of not protecting the users enough! As the BF says SCREW THIS SHIT.Protect yourself anyway you can onsl. Because the assholes in rl will do what they do in their sick drugged filed LIFE. Hurt and troll you until your life is nothing!

Amen. Witch hunts in fashion blogs seem to be really big right now. Not all fashion blogs though, I should point out, but I've witnesed several in the past 2 or 3 months alone. And the people who write this stuff have no interest in getting the real story from anyone before they trash someone. They're just miserable and want to make someone else miserable as well.