Probably a Stupid Question but...

[Sasha Zhukovsky]

I am not new to SL, but have pretty much stayed in my little world of roleplay and being a consumer in a variety of stores. The only way I could start a business in SL is if there was suddenly a HUGE market for untextured boxes of various sizes. My question(s) is this...what are copybots, who do they do what they do and how can I, as a fairly niave shopper, tell if what I am looking at purchasing has been stolen or not? I do think that stealing others ideas and hard work is wrong and don't want to support those people who want the easy buck by stealing the fruits of other's labor.

Thanks in advance for explaining this to me and any others like me who may be wondering but too embarresed to ask!

~Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and the world is probably going to keep on laughing without you~

[Unklebob Hotaling]

hello Sasha

There is no way of telling if an item is copied, other than already being aware of a designers line and subsequently being able the identify that as you shop... there isn't anything that defines something as being a copy.

No such thing as a stupid question, I've been on SL for awhile and we all learn something new every day no matter now much time we have in 

CopyBot

CopyBot is a program written with libsecondlife (not affiliated with or distributed by the libsecondlife team) that connects to Second Life which allows users to make copies of objects without the permission of their creators.

• CopyBot does not need permissions to copy an object.  The copier does not even need to own the object.
• CopyBot cannot copy scripts.
• CopyBot can only copy objects it can directly see. It cannot enter a shop and copy all of the products because all it can see is the vendors. In other words, CopyBot can't copy contents of prims.
• CopyBot is not an object in Second Life, nor a script. It is a program which a person runs on their computer instead of running the regular Second Life. It logs in as an avatar.
• Using CopyBot or any other software to make copies of avatars, objects, or textures that you do not own without the permission of the creator is a breach of the Second Life Terms of Service and will result in being banned.
• If an object of yours is copied, you can Abuse Report the copier and file a DMCA notice against them.
• Help or Mentors will not tell you where to get the CopyBot.
• The CopyBot itself is not banned from SL. Just the use of the CopyBot to copy other Residents creations without their permission is a violation.
• The CopyBot Defeater tries to get rid of CopyBots by sending the message "!quit" over and over again to everyone in range. This did work for a few hours as the CopyBot would interpret it as a command to quit, but CopyBot was quickly patched to ignore it. These objects only serve a historical purpose now and do not have any real effect except to annoy everyone.

[Elric Anatine]

A Copybot or the concept thereof is one of many tools (sadly) available to copy inworld items or parts thereof.  i.e. An item, along with its textures can be copied.

 

Bottom line:  Copybots thieve content.

 

You can help yourself and the original creators by being vigilant, and searching for similar items.  Check the date when something is created. When comparing two items, usually the newest is a copy.

 

How long has the shop been in business?  How long has the creator been around?  Copybot item sellers are usually new accounts or ones that have very little information in their profile.

 

Is the item quite inexpensive when compared to another item that is the same?  The cheaper one is often a copybotted item.

 

Ask. Don't be afraid to ask questions of the creator or others regarding a creator's reputation.  I challenge texture creators often -- what programs do they use, etc.

 

If someone is selling a "mish mash" of items, where there is little consistency in style, also it's a tip that they may be copybotted.

 

I hope that helps.

 

Cheers,

[Sasha Zhukovsky]

Thank you for the reply and answer, UnkleBob! I usually shop in stores that carry the items I need for my roleplay, so I am familiar with their work. Every once in a while I stick my head outside and check out other stores that I am not familiar with. Hopefully none of them are being naughty! Well, naughty on the copy level!

[Sasha Zhukovsky]

Thank you, Elric,

I will look for those flags when I venture out shopping next time!

[Damian McLeod]

Finally someone with a brain when it comes to things... *S* I will only add this to your post Elric...  Get to know the merchandise you are commonly searching / shopping for. Even if you don't buy from a particular merchant who makes product such as RP goods, because you like another better, take the time to familiarize yourself with the different styles used by the other merchants. Then when your out exploring and wandering, you will be more prone to recognize their work, and the work of your prefered merchants. If you spot something suspect, take the moment to notecard it or IM it to the merchant, so they can take a moment and check and see if it is stolen content, and deal with it appropriately... LL isn't there to police things for us... That's our job. LL's job is to act once we, as content creators are sure the content is stolen / illegally copied and determine if the burden of proof needed for filing a DMCA take down request is met or not, since it has to be the content creator or their legal representative that files the take down request.