Sophia Tantalus

Just read your fair use reply and am parsing. Posted above before seeing it.

Darn you're fast!

Joshua Nightshade

Right, but fair use in software allows you to reproduce software for backup use on a personal level. Software developers increasingly try to put restrictions on that sortof thing, like with music and DRM, but that and EULAs are a civil issue, where copyright law carries criminal penalties. At least up until the frigging DMCA where you face criminal offenses for circumventing DRM.

I don't know if Dancien said he'd be using those textures for products he's selling on Legend City. If he was then yeah, that's a bit sketchier legal ground and she might have an argument. If he's using them to decorate his house then it would be unlikely to get him in trouble.

But it's all moot on the basis that most of TRU's textures are stolen from video games and she'd be hard pressed to prove she's the copyright owner on any of them, so I doubt she's likely to stir the issue up.

Joshua Nightshade

Yeah I get that a lot, sorry.

Sophia Tantalus

Not necessarily fair use. Here's a case in point- courts keep zigzagging on whether copies in RAM are violations or not:

RAM Copying - An Issue of More Than Transitory Duration

Joshua Nightshade

That's interesting, I hadn't heard of that case.

Still, I think it would be easy to argue that copying the textures to another grid after already owning them and using them simply for personal use would be safe. But even as your link says fair use is subjective depending on the context so I could be wrong!

Then there's the whole aspect that the textures are sent off to everyone who views them automatically and could be argued that they facilitate copyright that way, it's all a clusterfuck.

But again I doubt she'd argue this in the first place considering the nature of her own "products," so this is all really just an exercise in e-lawyering.

Sophia Tantalus

LOL- good point about TRU. Can, meet worms.

Yes, you're right about civil and criminal, although... have you read the Pro-IP act? What do you think? If you haven't maybe it will keep you busy for oh... 10 minutes of the time I'm gone (gtg make birdseed treats for xmas gifts with the kiddo).

Copyright and EULAs are a hairball, and it fascinates me. One of my favorite aspects of SL is how engaged the community is in the copyright debate (and all these other debates!).

Elgyfu

Forgive me if I am a bit behind the times here. I just looked at Legend City Online's copyright details and it seems to be all about TRU
Content Theft - What Is LCO's Protocol - Legend City Online : Forums

I asked LaLa what the connection between the grid and TRU was and she said that LF was her friend, but not a professional connection.

So why does the copyright info seem so TRU-centric?

I admit that the TRU connection is the only thing about this otherwise great new grid that is worrying me

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Tin Teddy - so much more than just a store

Lordfly Digeridoo

I'm a friend of who what now?

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Macphisto Angelus

Lilybeth Flith I reckon is what was meant there with the LF.

I admit I would have saw the LF and thought of you first too though. Maybe we should just call her Filth for clarification?

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Lordfly Digeridoo

The only people that should be called LF are myself and Launa Fauna.

Elgyfu

Yes, I did mean her, sorry

ArchTx Edo

I have to say in defense of all the other Filth on the gridz, "That would be terribly unfair"! It would also be a slander on the names of all the other good upstanding Filth, to associate them all with a Filth of questionable nature. There is fun Filth, good Filth, bad Filth, raunchy Filth, and Lilibeth. Its just not fair to lump them all together.

Joshua Nightshade

Um thanks for the necro?

Macphisto Angelus

I did need the laugh.

Seasoned

ok, I'll admit that I am not one that knows alot about content theft, laws pertaining to it, copyright and stuff. Maybe someone can clarify or shed some light on this for me.

I know for a fact that there are TRU textures being distributed by hundreds of places for resale/freebies. They are poofer textures if I remember correctly being sold in those "business in a box" as particle tools or something. I remember when I was still relatively new to SL getting these textures somehow as a freebie, then later seeing them in the TRU store for sale.

I imagine that TRU has to be aware of this as it is in every resale/freebie store imaginable. Why have they not taken action against the owners of those places if they are so quick to take action (or so they say they will) on people trying to upload textures they bought ligitimatly from SL into LCO?

In my mind, telling someone they can not use a texture purchased in SL in LCO is like an office supply store saying you can not use thier paper in another location other than the location they sold it too.

Which brings another thing to my mind... are all those resale/freebie items ligit or stolen content? Did the creators make them with the intent of them being essentially freebies? I recently made a custom item for someone that I usually make no copy but give trans rights to it for gift purposes. But I agreed to make it copy for a higher price because she argued a good story on why she needed it copiable. It was not until after the sale was said and done and I was placing this item in my store to market to others when I noticed I did not make it no trans. Therefore this person can make as many copies as she wants and give them all out. I am waiting for it to appear in resale stores and such. Not going to sue anybody that does as it was my mistake and it was nothing big or a huge money maker, but is this something that happened to those creators? Or did they create that stuff for that purpose?

Sorry for going off topic but with me one thought leads to another and I can't stop myself

Joshua Nightshade

Almost everything in a business in a box is stolen content. A lot of freebies that pop up in places other than the store that released them tend to be questionable too.

TRU and Lillybeth have the notorious reputation of stealing textures from video games like Half Life 2 and so forth. I've heard that she's tried to revitalize her image by hiring people to release textures to her but as long as she's associated with TRU it will be nothing more than a bank of texture theft.

Lordfly Digeridoo

Because they didn't make them in the first place?