possible copyright violation

Just logging on and this was on the front page. I couldn't find out where on the Island the sale was happening, but isn't this totally illegal? These books are still in print.

Heck if this is allowed, I'm opening a book store!

I wonder what John Norman thinks of this.

The DMCA protects LL from their users' infringement. LL will not do a thing unless the rights holder files a complaint.

If you are the copyright holder of the items in questionor the holders agent, please follow the instructions at http://secondlife.com/corporate/dmca.php; otherwise, I hear there are some velvet paintings in nutellaberg that you might like to remove from thine eye before removing the mote from your neighbors'. WWUD?

Ah,

I'm working on that actually.

They are purchaseable (but not advertised for sale), for the upload price the same as these GOR books for now, but the situation is a bit different as the majority of the velvet paintings are not for sale in RL at all. A lot of them were done by anonymous workers in factory settings who never got credit for their work.

I love black velvet art because its so wonderfully ugly, and my intent was merely to make them available to SL users. The GOR books are still for sale in bookstores and thus not really that hard to get at all, whereas it's unlikely that the two or three practicing velvet artists will ever come to SL to make their work available. I would also argue that the paintings are true SL objects intended for use in SL. The books on the other hand, if they are what they appear to be, are just a way of using SL to distribute copyright material, much like a file sharing service. No one is going to take my 128 pixel rendition of a lost velvet work and print it out for use on thier wall at home.

I have been trying to get a hold of the junkyard dealer (Yanni? Yadni?), to get them in as freebies, but I haven't been able to find him (her?). My problem is I just wanted to make the works available in SL, but folks always try to re-sell them at huge prices.

My desire is to package them up for free, but the only way to avoid the yard sale problem is to make them non-transferable. I thought therefore to make them available for free at the biggest location of frebie items, i.e. the junkyard. It's the only fair solution I could think of that still leaves the copyright control in my hands and leaves all the re-sell shysters out in the cold.

Considering the huge amount of Goreans in SL, he may not care.

Or maybe not aware... yet.

Wonder what Lucasfilm will do when they see all the Star Wars stuff here (given their legal history).

They will probably bring in the RL legal version of the Deathstar....

If they are coming in intending to sell their own stuff though, they might just concentrate on establishing their own brand and either ignore the stuff made previously or perhaps even hire the creators, as a sort of good-will gesture.

The conflict there would only begin if someone continued to sell the old "unapproved"' stuff then.

I think we wriggle around the legal issue by seeing this SL platform as akin to Andy Worhols soup cans, an homage to what is real made into a digital artform.the fact that we can sell things is just a bonus, Andy sold his pop art for lots of money.

For sell at the upload price of L$10? The moment you sell a second one you're into 100% profit.

Well, I asked Uncle George about this, and his response, and I quote "huh?"

Goreans? *shiver*

~Ulrika~

does that turn you on? How YOU doin'?

At L$10 per velvet painting she would have to sell over 5000 copies before the copyright holder would even think about calling a lawyer (assuming US$150/hour). Given that these are virtual copies traded for virtual micropayments, I think the owners should look at it as free advertising myself. I mean, it's not like virtual velvet paintings will ever cut into the real velvet painting sales.

Books on the other hand, those are a bit different.

~Ulrika~

Uh oh

Why do I have a feeling this is for the sale of a image and not the actual books?

Actually costs me something more than 10 Lindens per item in that I am such a novice with the uploading and was even worse when I made most of them. I had to upload quite a few several times.

Finding the images, making frames etc. all takes time and typically between 15 minutes and a half hour in photoshop for each one depending on how screwed up the source material is. Times about 25 or 30 items that's a lot of time. Some of them have also have notes in them with information about the artist if I could find any.

They are basically just for laughs which is why they will soon be free. I thought that if I *did* get anything back for them, that it would not be unfair considering the amount of work I put in.

The whole thing is academic though since I have never sold a single one.

I wouldn't do that. You have overhead, such as your land-use fee and premium membership fee. Sell your wares. You're hurting no one and allowing others to see the art for their first time.

Next time I'm in world, I'm going to your shop and buying ten copies of each. It'll help pay for that smashing new shop you've built. The textures are amazing.

~Ulrika~

Incorrect: http://www.wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,68967,00.html?tw=wn_story_top5

I have yet to find an artist who thinks that this sort of thing is okay. These are the same sort of justifications people always use to violate copyright (including the defense that since you didn't get any significant money for it, issues of copyright violation don't apply).

Here are some quotes from the FAQs of artists web sites:

==snip==

Boris Vallejo:

All of our images are copyrighted around the world. Any unauthorized use of any of our images for any purpose whatsoever is not only unethical but also against the law. Do not do it.

H.R. Giger:

Unless you can find a link from www.HRGiger.com to those websites, they have been posted in total disregard of Giger’s own wishes ... in direct violation of Giger’s copyright.

Sue Dawe:

The images contained in these pages are the exclusive copyright of Sue Dawe. These images are low resolution scans, intended for use in this website only, and strictly for purposes of allowing viewers a chance to view her vast body of work. Any copying or downloading of these images is a clear and deliberate violation of that copyright.

Michael Whelan (whose work I know you can find in SL) explains his position in detail:

Michael does not authorize free use of his images on either commercial or non-commercial web-sites ... Michael can not ensure quality reproduction of his work on any site besides michaelwhelan.com. Scans found at other sites are more often than not inferior in quality [sharpness, color, etc]. As an artist, every presentation of his artwork reflects on his craft.

==snip==

Say you don't believe that artists should have the right to control where and under what circumstances their work should be seen; or say you are only concerned about legal liability; but saying that you think the artists probably wouldn't mind seems to be buying into the ethical issue, and then dismissing it as relatively insignificant (in the face of the difficulty of getting in touch with the artist).

I am sorely disappointed. I hoped this thread would devolve into Ulrika vs. the Goreans.

I'm an artist and I think it's OK. That has been your contrary anecdotal evidence for the day.

~Ulrika~

Goreans. *shiver*

I pity anyone who bases their life on the selective readings of a science fiction novel. They're like kids who talk Klingon except with sex toys.

~Ulrika~

There is a player whose inventory would disagree.