Warning: Designer Thievery

This is not slander, this is a warning to designers.

As several are aware, I discovered last night that Tena Keegan has stolen my skin design and attempted to market it as her own (at a higher cost than I charge). She has 1 skin copy, and she messed the shading up a little in trying to apply it to template to use as her own. She openly admitted to the theft, and claims because she changed the nails slightly that it is her own work.

I'm very against people using another's work and claiming it as their own. I labored very hard to ensure a seamless skin, and spent quite a bit of money in creation of such skin. Even if this was say.. Chip's skin and it happened, I would still find this kind of behavior absolutely unforgivable. We, as designers, work to create items unique to ourselves, and to have someone so blatantly brag about ripping off other designers should be punished.

Linden Labs claims they can do nothing about this, and so as a society within SL, it is up to us to ensure that this kind of thievery is openly reported and shunned. I do not support this kind of freeloading and deceit, and I hope none of you, as artists in your own right, support it either.

Tena is now banned in Galleria Sims.

I have known you since your first week, and have watched you grow from observer to producer. You support in me as a friend in so many ways Santana.

Please don't leave SL over this.

This person will get hers.

This makes me want to just ban anyone dealing with that person, including her SL boyfriend / Mall owner. Which I wont. But she for damn well sure is banned for life in my sims.

Briana Dawson

That really sucks Santana, and I'm sorry to hear that this happened to you. I had a similar problem with my skins at one point where texture theft was admitted to me, though I never saw them being resold. If your skins are set to modifiable I would change that asap. Any modifiable skin can have its textures stolen very easily. If you'd like to PM or IM me I'll tell you how they do it but I'd rather not broadcast it publicly. My clothing is still all mod, but the skins are simply too much work to risk having this happen. I took down all my mod versions and no longer sell them. I'd recommend doing the same.

Unfortunately when a society is more monetarily based versus creation, this is the result. Stealing someone's work and presenting it as your own has little benefit in a artistic circle, but once money is introduced, values change rapidly.

Just another le$$on I learned in $L.

I really wish the Lindens would address this problem as it seems to be happening more and more frequently. The best we can do as artists and designers is keep each other aware of such things.

Now that the word is out that you can make money here by selling things we are seeing the more unscrupulous side of some people. I have to admit it does bother me a bit when new players arrive and the first thing they ask is "how they can make money here".

Okie first of all...ALL that no me knows I wouldnt do a think like that she has never even seen my skin on me...and mine don't look nothing like hers. not the same belly button,nipples,legs or nothing she sells her way more than I do mine I sell mine for 2500 with 5 make ups. IT IS NOT NOTHING LIKE HERS....she was not even women enough to come talk to me about it she sends her b/f and 3 other friends to my fiancee's mall to bash me. and it isnt right! or fair to me. the only thing I said about her skin is she made her skin copible as far as it being on a skin...and I can prove it ..I never copied her skin at all I sell my own..but I got a copy of her skin that was baught I got it yesterday...and it is copible SO IF ANYONE WANTS TWO FREE COPYS OF HER CRAPY SKIN PLZ CONTACT ME AND I WILL SEND YOU A COPY OF HER SKIN since it was giving to me I will share with who ever wants it..NOTE: That isn't my skin it is her's and has not been tampered with...She made it copible and that is her fault I didn't copy hers my skin is NOTHING LIKE HERS! Santana I would of never still nothing from you or anyone else. and you can say what you want I'm sure people will not fall for your stupidity. So before you acuse some one you should get your facts straight! and acually look at my skin up close not on a blurry picture...and be a women and talk to me instead of sending people to bash me it shows your imaturity. I'm sorry for those who had to read all this but she can't hurt me I'm stornger than that. Thanks have a good day! Tena

This is an outrage!
You cant accuse someone of stealing something just because it looks slightly simallar without proof. How can you determine if its the same skin or even close to the same skin. And spreading shit over forums is not gonna make it any better. Dont get mad because her skin is better or you think looks like yours. Tena spent 2 weeks making that skin by hand every pixal of it I was there when she was making it. How can you accuse her of stealing your skin when you have no proof at all, you could of just seen her skin and said hmmm I feel like fucking up her rep saying she stole my skin. And thats not right then spreading it in the forums that is just out of line. Getting Tena banned from GC for nothing is not gonna solve anything she doesnt steal and she dont copy. I guess since you think she stole it it makes you feel better and a bigger person to blame someone of stealing your skin so you can be heard which is really retarded. And whatever as a society turning SL on Tena in other words is just brutal and wrong.

Tena,

Please use proper spacing and punctuation, it makes your rebuttal a lot more believable and easier to read.

Second, if you are giving away the work of another without their permission, then you are violation of the copyright act. LL has given everyone in SL the digital and real world rights to anything they create in SL. You do not give up these rights just because someone got a copy of your work and started handing it out.

The correct thing to do would be to delete the copy of her work save for one if you purchased it legally, or any number of copies if you want to keep it for yourself.

Then demonstrate how you created your skin from the ground up to show that its not based on hers.

That being said, giving away the works of another against their will is illegal (but hard to prosecute, thought it is theft of intellectual property) and immoral.

If you believe someone has stolen something from you, please file an abuse report. The forum is not the place to solve your dispute.

We're aware that there have been problems with textures and permissions. Updating the permissions system and integrating Creative Commons licensing is an important goal for us. In the meantime, please use the abuse system and we'll do our best using the tracking tools we have to sort out the problem.

Edit: After another post continuing the dispute, which has been deleted, this thread is locked. Please use the abuse system to resolve problems with other players. The forum is for community discussion, not individual arguments.