That's funny.

[Paul Hexem]

I found a store on the marketplace today, selling a bunch of mesh, full perm. All of it ripped from video games. That's common enough by itself, but in every single listing, it says

"You've purchased a 100% full perm mesh object. You can use this for your own creations and can resell it as part of it. Do not resell as is, DCMA is going to apply."

Seriously? Can someone even file a DCMA when they stole the item to begin with? How would that work? "You can't sell that, I stole it first!"

[Min Barzane]

Its mesh mafia man,mafia i say!!!!

[Alicia Sautereau]

Don`t bother...

I`ve contacted enough creators of stolen items that have no sl pressence and can gladly share with you that nearly non of them give a damn about their creation or names.

 

I gave up... let them burn.

[Rya Nitely]

 

---

Min Barzane wrote:

Its mesh mafia man,mafia i say!!!!

---

I think they know who they are....and they know we know (well, some of us know)

[Madeline Blackbart]

---

Gadget Portal wrote:

I found a store on the marketplace today, selling a bunch of mesh, full perm. All of it ripped from video games. That's common enough by itself, but in every single listing, it says

"You've purchased a 100% full perm mesh object. You can use this for your own creations and can resell it as part of it. Do not resell as is, DCMA is going to apply."

Seriously? Can someone even file a DCMA when they stole the item to begin with? How would that work? "You can't sell that, I stole it first!"

---

I think they actually could scary enough. Linden labs doesn't seem to check who owns what before taking the item down. So if someone files a dcma even if they don't legally own the item to began with LL will probably take the sub work down. A little screwy but on the other hand you can't really blame LL as the sheer numbers are against them when it comes to checking each and every item posted. I mean can you imagine if that was you're job? The things you'd see....*shudders*

[Deja Letov]

You know...I know we can't legally post things on the forums with these merchants names, but are we legally allowed to say...I don't know...make a website of our own, not a forum, just something quickly and easily, like the BB, quick lookup list to see if a merchant is in the list? Could we get into trouble for that?

[Rya Nitely]

You'd need to be pretty brave to make a website with a list of these stores because, as people keep saying, how do you get absolute proof?

SLUniverse has just about named all of them

Here's the link to the thread - 

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/general-sl-discussion/63903-mesh-police-ripped-content-watch.html

You don't have to start at the beginning of the thread. Many of the stores or items mentioned have gone since the thread started, which is a good sign. Many items seem to be taken down as soon as they get mentioned. They even have lists of store names in some posts.  The last 10 pages would give you more current information.

Edit: On second thoughts, when a store disappears it will often reappear with a new account and new store - but at least it scared them enough to run and hide.

[Teagan Tobias]

They think they feel it gives them the appearance of legitimacy. Idle threats are taken serious by someone that knows no better.

[Pamela Galli]

---

Rya Nitely wrote:

You'd need to be pretty brave to make a website with a list of these stores because, as people keep saying, how do you get absolute proof?

SLUniverse has just about named all of them

Here's the link to the thread - 

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/general-sl-discussion/63903-mesh-police-ripped-content-watch.html

You don't have to start at the beginning of the thread. Many of the stores or items mentioned have gone since the thread started, which is a good sign. Many items seem to be taken down as soon as they get mentioned. They even have lists of store names in some posts. 

 The last 10 pages would give you more current information.

Edit: On second thoughts, when a store disappears it will often reappear with a new account and new store - but at least it scared them enough to run and hide.

---

They have not named just about all of them, just the ones that are easiest to spot. Many cover their tracks much better.

[Pamela Galli]

---

Deja Letov wrote:

You know...I know we can't legally post things on the forums with these merchants names, but are we legally allowed to say...I don't know...make a website of our own, not a forum, just something quickly and easily, like the BB, quick lookup list to see if a merchant is in the list? Could we get into trouble for that?

---

It's what the SLU thread has been doing on a limited scale. There can be no list of "good" merchants because there is no way to prove that someone does not rip anything -- but only a way to present evidence that someone is selling models illegally and let people evaluate it for themselves. By evidence, something like the Pinterest page. Some may be selling stuff they bought in SL full perm without knowing it is ripped, some actually did the ripping -- there is no way to tell that, so motivations should not really be a factor, just the facts (ma'am).

[Spica Inventor]

O.k raise of hands. How many merchants here are more concerned about loosing market share to the 'video game stuff' than they are about I.P. rights and violations thereof? Just curious. ;-)

[Rya Nitely]

---

Pamela Galli wrote:

---

Rya Nitely wrote:

You'd need to be pretty brave to make a website with a list of these stores because, as people keep saying, how do you get absolute proof?

SLUniverse has just about named all of them

Here's the link to the thread - 

http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/general-sl-discussion/63903-mesh-police-ripped-content-watch.html

You don't have to start at the beginning of the thread. Many of the stores or items mentioned have gone since the thread started, which is a good sign. Many items seem to be taken down as soon as they get mentioned. They even have lists of store names in some posts. 

 The last 10 pages would give you more current information.

Edit: On second thoughts, when a store disappears it will often reappear with a new account and new store - but at least it scared them enough to run and hide.

---

They have not named just about all of them, just the ones that are easiest to spot. Many cover their tracks much better.

---

This is true. It's the laziest ones that stand out.

[Jenny Siddeley]

Nothing wrong with being concerned about losing market share to people who are stealing someone else's work and don't deserve to be merchants.

Also, why should they be concerned about the I.P. rights when the authors themselves don't seem to care.

Either way, it doesn't make it right and needs to be adressed one way or another.

[Rya Nitely]

---

Spica Inventor wrote:

O.k raise of hands. How many merchants here are more concerned about loosing market share to the 'video game stuff' than they are about I.P. rights and violations thereof? Just curious. ;-)

___________________________________________________________________________

My concern is more about the competition. My concern is that genuine creators who spend weeks creating an item are not going to get the money they deserve for that effort. It will discourage many from even bothering to do it anymore, when people are uploading models that may be equal or better quality. 

If people get away with uploading stolen models then they would have a very strong and unfair advantage - uploading 100s of models in the time it would take to create one.

It isn't so much that the genuine creators of SL can't create items of equal quality, it's the time and effort it would take to do it.

How would this turn out in the end? Many genuine creators would give up, and the stolen items would take over. One of the things that draws people and keeps them in SL is creating and also the ability to sell those creations.

[Pamela Galli]

---

Rya Nitely wrote:

---

Spica Inventor wrote:

O.k raise of hands. How many merchants here are more concerned about loosing market share to the 'video game stuff' than they are about I.P. rights and violations thereof? Just curious. ;-)

___________________________________________________________________________

 

It isn't so much that the genuine creators of SL can't create items of equal quality, it's the time and effort it would take to do it.

 

---

Bingo. But then even before mesh Spica was a supporter of copybotting, so no surprise there.

[Deja Letov]

ya I've been following the thread on SL Unviverse but it's many pages and hard to sift through. I wish there was just a "list", alphabetical. To make it easy.

[Deja Letov]

---

Spica Inventor wrote:

O.k raise of hands. How many merchants here are more concerned about loosing market share to the 'video game stuff' than they are about I.P. rights and violations thereof? Just curious. ;-)

---

I'm concerned about both...why wouldn't we be? Is there something wrong with not wanting competitors to have an unfair advantage over those who do business with legitimate and legal products?

[ImaTest1488314069]

---

Spica Inventor wrote:

O.k raise of hands. How many merchants here are more concerned about loosing market share to the 'video game stuff' than they are about I.P. rights and violations thereof? Just curious. ;-)

---

I think true creators who are also merchants are concerned about both. I think they ought to be, because both can have an effect on them.

The ones who don't care about either, I wouldn't qualify as true creators who are also merchants. I do find there can be a distinct difference between creators and creators who are also merchants, though. Not a bad difference, just a difference. Many people who create, just to create, and never sell a thing, don't pay attention to things like ripped content. Not that they can't, I've just found many don't.

[Czari Zenovka]

---

Deja Letov wrote:

ya I've been following the thread on SL Unviverse but it's many pages and hard to sift through. I wish there was just a "list", alphabetical. To make it easy.

---

Same here and I, too, wish there was a list but someone said earlier many of the merchants disappear quickly so a list would probably be perpetually outdated.

Even just reading the last 10 pages of that thread I ran across more "infighting" for want of a better word (well, primarily everyone vs one person).  The majority of the items that are flagged as definitely ripped seem to be largely from the gaming industry - game avatars, equipment, clothing/armor, etc.  I did notice a few items such as cars and some household items but the largest part were from games.

[Lexi Zelin]

Technically, a person can DMCA anything they want.. I could DMCA the SL SKY if I wanted to. You're not supposed to DMCA stuff that's not yours but people do it everyday -.- If it goes to court tho they could get in big trouble tho

[Rya Nitely]

---

Lexi Zelin wrote:

Technically, a person can DMCA anything they want.. I could DMCA the SL SKY if I wanted to. You're not supposed to DMCA stuff that's not yours but people do it everyday -.- If it goes to court tho they could get in big trouble tho

---

So, in other words people can't DMCA anything they want. That's vey helpful ,thanks

[Poenald Palen]

---

Madeline Blackbart wrote:

---

Gadget Portal wrote:

I found a store on the marketplace today, selling a bunch of mesh, full perm. All of it ripped from video games. That's common enough by itself, but in every single listing, it says

"You've purchased a 100% full perm mesh object. You can use this for your own creations and can resell it as part of it. Do not resell as is, DCMA is going to apply."

Seriously? Can someone even file a DCMA when they stole the item to begin with? How would that work? "You can't sell that, I stole it first!"

---

I think they actually could scary enough. Linden labs doesn't seem to check who owns what before taking the item down. So if someone files a dcma even if they don't legally own the item to began with LL will probably take the sub work down. A little screwy but on the other hand you can't really blame LL as the sheer numbers are against them when it comes to checking each and every item posted. I mean can you imagine if that was you're job? The things you'd see....*shudders*

---

LL isn't supposed to, or at least are not required to. They can't tell really, even though it is sort of logic. They can't possibly keep asking people who they think own the rights. This DMCA stuff seems to come from other things to do with web hosts and SL is just hosting and not providing the content, so they make you take some tests to prove you know you are doing wrong. Then, when the real owners (if they do) comes along and does a take down LL's system proves that the uploader knew they where violating or could violate the rights and gives LL less of an issue. They actually go beyond what is required! But if they recieve a notice, then it is over with as far as going beyond because this is the legal stuff they can't get involved in.

It also works for entities that want to secretly market thier products. Can't say anyone is doing this, but they can put stuff out that is appearing ripped but isn't and since they are the real owners and ones that need to DMCA then they simply don't. When they don't, nothing happens and the items float around and keep thier products in peoples minds.

 

Mesh mafia? Ah, who says crime isn't involved though because maybe you have a person looking for easy products to put out for sale and get money into thier account, basic money laundering. Hard to make a whole bunch of items and then run a legit looking loundering operation if you are not so organized, a mafia would have a much more organized an classy operation going. They have no want or need to attract attention, would they? If mafia is involved they are not like the real world mafia anway, so mesh mafia may be a better phrase. real mafias have enough money and send someone to train or hire someone they know they can use to make mesh items and then thier friends join and purchase it and so on. Crackheads looking for $10 for another hit? People trying to bring about anarchy by destroying copyright laws acceptance? Frustrated artists or rival studio's trying to cheapen competitors products or make them look like jerks by enticing them to do DMCA's and upset fans who purchased those items? Maybe investors in video game companies wanting to keep the video games alive and maybe it is a proven way of increasing sales?

Who knows. I don't. So why should I care.