Sim Theft?

Is there any action that can be taken against another group copying our sim?
We've spent weeks building an amazing sim and great environment for our group with shops and everything, but now another group that has some bone to pick with us and has been trying to get into a fight with us for some time is planning to copy our buildings, textures, everything and make a Sim just like ours. While it's great to see we did such a good job that our "competition" is scrambling to out do us but this is more than some petty fued they are carring on here, we need the business and traffic to keep our sim going. If they copy us and make a duplicate to steal business and new members we may go under. the other group has been claimed we are rivals for some time and many of the people who act poorly and get kicked out of our group end up joining the other to spite us, until now we've had no problems beyond an occasional greif attack and they like to bad mouth us but this latest action threatens to hurt our business and entire sim, we didn't work for over a month preparing to build this just so someone else could rip everything off and cause us trouble. we have a unique place here made to be a great place to come and hang out, it's supposed to set us apart with our hard work and killer atmosphere. but this is really upset those of use who worked so hard to see someone else copy it all out of some spiteful need to out do us, is there anything that can be done about this?
I don't know if this makes any difference but the building was done by some of us in a group of builders that the sim owner asked and payed us to do this work for them.

We are all just really steamed they are goign to rip us off and most likely try to steal buisness.

Hmm... what you can do? First, don't let them push at you and get you angry. Second, become familiar with the DMCA procedures. Third, ARing does seem to help, if the person(s) are harassing you on the sim. Better still, you should let the sim owner know the situation and ban the person(s) themselves.

The ways I know of for stealing a direct copy of the item are a bit cumbersome and in all the cases, I don't know of any that can steal the content of a prim. Example, the script that is in the prim. Sadly, these methods are difficult to defend against and the only known way of dealing with it is the file a DMCA when it happens.

Other than that.. no clue, sorry.

Thanks for the DMCA tip

Success has 1000 followers.

But the real success is continuing to shine, in a world of competition.

Take the high road. Always. Lest ye be known more for a big icky fight than for all that you have worked for.

Never have I seen anything successful that amounted to little more than prims and textures. That's good for 5-10 minutes of ooh and ahh, and never trumps the 'new' ooh and ahh being manufactured daily.

Real success is people, enthusiasm, community and fun.

Yep, file a DMCA complaint if their sim contains obviously stolen textures and/or copied buildings. They'll likely be forced to remove the content, and all stealing & rebuilding effort was for naught.

There been a rash of copy cat builder these last 6 months. Again, as a RL designer Interior Design person. There two types of builders,
1.) creative ones that love building with their imagation..

2.) those that have almost no creative thinking and just need to ( i say barrow instead of stealing in the designer world this is what we call them.) 2.) not always are those that are either too lazy or lack the create emergy to create and design a sim, they just lack creative thinking.

Agree...if you love what you do and are good at it then any copy cat is unlikely to be able to achieve the quality of work you do. Most people can see the difference. When I build something part of my mind is thinking about the next thing I want to do. When Im happy with everything in my project, its finished...and Im excited about starting the next. You cant really stop people stealing ideas, its how a lot of people learn.

Good comment Desmond, I could add failure has few friends.

This is true in real life as well as the VR that is Second Life, because ultimately it’s all about people.

I could add....

"You never get a second chance to make a good first impression"......which is true in first life but not always the case in SL as its fairly easy to change your ID. Which leads me to the second comment......

"He or she who fails to read history will be condemned to make the same mistakes over and over again"

I would finish off by saying that SL is almost unique insomuch as it offers a second (or even a third chance) to become successful in the way you want to be. And in the long run it’s not always about money alone

Oh yes that leads me to my last comment on this one and it is something I learned from you.....

"If you get cross or angry about something it is better to pull back, log off, and review it in the light of a new day". That also works in real life

I am sorry for the bad grammer and layout of the message......

Well stopping stealing of existing ideas is never ending. people learn from what they see and reproduce it. But total copying without and changing really is a really sad. As designers in rl we base of underestanding of objects and stuctures on our past experiences of said visual stimulations........... Or creative thinking in other terms. When i see a Island that has objects and layout 70% close to that of a island that been around for awhile i say to myselve. this is a copy! And there is no creative thinking at all. this person spent 1600.00+ on a island and they copied instead of creating their own imagenation? That alone is a sad thing. We are here on sl to do and be things we can`t in rl......Its their money and if they need to cheat to make it to the top then well..... they must cheat in other parts of their rl...... Second Life is suppose to be a place where our minds meet the mediam to create with out imageation and build and learn. Not to cheat out creative thought just to out do another person or business.


Usagi

quit cryin and man the f up! fight these clowns on every front. root lil piggy or die! them other boys seem like they got heart. outshine ..out glow the clowns...you sittin around whining hopin a linden will swoop down and save ya..they won't and they shouldnt! Compete!

Just keep on keeping on. You and your group are doing what you're doing because you had the idea, if not the dream. The copycats are doing it just to cause you grief. People are the heart of any sim or business.

It sounds to me like you have the heart.

And remember: "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery."

EH?

I was going to say this as well............But thoses that don`t understand the creative process just see it as plain stealing..... But you are correct.

I know. I can't understand half the dribble he spews out, but part of my brain keeps telling me it's supposed to be funny.

I don't know if I believe that part of my brain though >.>

"Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery", but there is a clear line between looking at someones's work and gaining ideas and insipration from it and outright copying - that is plagiarism!

Without meaning to belittle your concerns, I wouldn't worry about it.

The amount of times someone has threatened to copy and run the Aerodrome out of business I cant even count. Some have actually even tried it.

None have cost us even one sale that I'm aware of.

Theres a lot to be said in SL for being first. But generally, a copy looks like a copy. Almost nobody who copies stuff for profit has the patience to do the original justice - if they did, they would make something original. I know in the post copybot era things seem a little more risky, but I still find it to be true.

But as I say, I wouldn't worry about - 99% of the time, these are nothing but idiots blowing hot air.

oh you have a point, but how does one learn to design? But observing right? down through history the masters studied nature etc to come up with their creations right?

"plagiarism" is a direct line per line detail for detail copy. "Bastered copies" on the other hand direct ripe offs........ I am not debating you but people do need examples to learn to create there own version. But no means do a support plagiarism or stealing, but your throught is too extreme and doesnt leave peole enought room for creating their own versions ( withOUT plagiarism or stealing) As instructors and teachers say do your thumb nails, etc of what you observe. Becuase you do your final project and have those small drawing to prove its you design......... Again i am not devbating you, but as a designer in sl we learn from observation.........Read my past thoughts about this topic above..........

Usagi

If all your Sim amounts to is prims, and textures then you were doomed LONG before this other group threatened to copy you. If, on the other hand you are More than just a build then no matter how many of your buildings the other group copies it will Always lack the essentials that go to make up a Great Sim.

There are four factors to a successful Sim, Most sims rely on only two of the four. In the Past i've seen a Hand full of sims use three, But never have i seen all four factors at work in a Given Sim at the same time.
The First, and the one that is vexing you Most at this time is the Environment.
A Sim build should be Intricate, without being a Maze. A guest shouldn't be able to see the whole thing in Five minutes. It should have Multiple purpose areas. Play areas, display areas, Conversation Pits, In short, Planned Options. It should be Well Built, Visually appealing, night And day, and should Offer Views that have people Bringing other people in saying "God, you HAVE to see this!".

That can Be copied to a point, But if you and your builders are Good enough it can Never be reproduced anywhere near as well as you did it.

If you like, i can go Over the Other three factors with you in PM, or if enough people ask here, I'll List them here, but as i said, Most people already know at least two. Don't worry so much copies are never as Good as the original.

Angel.

well tell the man to lay down like a little hooker then...i just can't stand to see a grown man whine like an ol granny woman. it's our duty to buck the man up! he built the sim he shold fight for for...but if he a lil soft, ya know small time squishy maybe he should just turn it in to a sandbox and donate it to the world!

just tryin to be helpful!

broken it might be time for you to get fixed...silly trick! rabbits is fa stews!