How are these SL "motorcycle Clubs" being allowed to break international trademark laws and tos?

[angel316]

I see these so called motorcycle club groups running around everywhere, flaunting RL club patches, selling merchandise and generally acting like fools. I know for a fact that the Hells Angels patch is trademarked and copyrighted, and nobody except HA members has the right to wear, posess, or reproduce it in any way. digitally or otherwise. These people are blatatantly stealing, violating international copyright laws and LL TOS. Something needs to be done.

[Lindal Kidd]

Maybe the members of the SL club are Hells Angels in real life!

But if not, I would sure not want to have them coming after me.  The only thing worse I can think of would be Disney. :catvery-happy:

[KarenMichelle Lane]

Unless you are the owner of the Trademark or Service Mark, there is nothing for you to do. Only the owner can file a DCMA Take Down request for copyright infringement. of IP

 

[Madelaine McMasters]

Hi Angel,

We're residents like you and so are not in a position to address this concern. LL can be made aware of copyright/trademark infringement via DCMA takedown notifications. You could notify the Hells Angels so they can decide for themselves whether the usage of their trademarks in SL is acceptable. Send them examples of the infringement you've found, and the link to the SL DCMA takedown notifcation page. If they find the use of their intellectual property here objectionable, they'll have the mechanism to alert Linden Lab.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

But what you can't know, unless you're acting on behalf of the Hell's Angels, is whether they've licenced people in SL to use their patches and insignia.    It's their IP, so they (or someone they've instructed) have to be the ones to tell LL "this person is using our IP without our permission".

 

[KarenMichelle Lane]

Is that a [face in palms] because the bowling pin became a peacock? I tell ya, out-smarted by a bowling pin. Oh the shame!

[KarenMichelle Lane]

Now mind you...the IP "Enforcement" division of the local Chapter of the Hell's Angels might not use DCMA takedown notifications. **Wink

[Madelaine McMasters]

I've a friend who raises peacocks. Every spring the male sprouts a magnificent tail and struts around for the girls. I can't help but be reminded of putting on war paint and heels to entice my ex-hubby 20+ years ago. I morphed that into a "neener, neener, neener" moment for the bowling pin, who knows damned well there's nothing I can do to harm him. He also knows I can't stop trying. My friend Quinn loved to taunt me over my failures to kill her. I was raised in a family where being "insulted" or "shamed" was a sign of affection. So yes I'm drenched in shame at the moment. And since I imagine that put a smile on your face, I'm loving it.

Thanks!

;-)

[Anek Fuchs]

as the vice president of a virtual MC, of which holds its own patch and designs in sl, and sl alone, I have taken down a couple "rl patch wearing" residents of sl, simply by contacting the RL club presidents to find out the legitimacy of the claims that they are official members, and the two I took down were not HA but other major clubs in the real world, AND were actually official members of said RL clubs in sl acting like idiots. Some MC's in sl are nice folks, doing good things. Typically an rl club, has a high level of hate for any type of gamer or virtual bikers, and they are quite upfront about that when contacted. You want to do something about it? do what I did. 

[SeaSharp Smashcan]

Hells Angels has never approved of virtual clubs.  This is direct from the HAMC leadership.  If a member has formed a virtual "chapter" online, they are in violation of their oath to the Club and can face significant consequences.  Next time someone says they are a RL member of HAMC, just laugh.  They are posers.