Luck Inc closed?

[UncommonTruth]

A few of my friends and I have been trying forever to get into the Luck Inc sim, but it seems to be closed. The only item they have on the MP is the phat azz demo. I thought they were just updating or something, but it's been ages D: does anyone know what's going on there?

[Kickedyourbutt]

The marketplace store is indeed empty and i have no access to the sim.

Something happened, and not sure if anyone knows yet, as it is too soon.

[Bobbie Faulds]

There's a DMCA controversy going on. The maker has been accused of using someone elses work. He's fighting it but it take time. In the meantime, I belleve you can contact the maker directly and he'll sell it to you.

[Pussycat Catnap]

As noted above, the DMCA controversy.

But the product itself is outdated now anyway - other makers doing the same concept have moved on to fitted mesh.

[Perrie Juran]

tagging out of convenience.

Does anyone actually know? 

It does have that appearance but normally when a copyright holder issues a takedown they also request that all copies of the work get removed:  In other words, lots of folks would be kissing their phat azzes goodbye.

Then also there is the normal flow of a DCMA.

Original claim and 'take down.'  Product removed and notice sent to the alleged infringer.

Counter Claim.  If filed, after about two weeks, if the original Plaintiff/Claimant does not file a law suit and get a Court Injunction, the product goes back up.

Note:  The next step after the Counter Claim the original Claimant has to get a Court Order for anything else to happen.

With all the eyes that watch for SL-centric lawsuits so far not a whisper of one being filed that I have seen.

The last known statement was what Obvious saw on her Profile a few weeks back:

"Luck inc is atm closed for updates etc c: stay tuned."

This statement has been removed now from her Profile.

 

 

[Marianne Little]

It was a DMCA case between 2 big skin designers, and the mainstore + smaller store in another sim of one was closed for about 6 months if not more. I had several skins and skinpacks from them, and they were not touched. I never read on the two forums I use, or the blog feeds, that skins were removed.

The two parts were almost to court and it was lawyers involved. Plaintiff and defendant settled for an agreement, but  they also agreed to post no details. Both stores are up and selling now.

[UncommonTruth]

I've looked at and tried on a slew of other mesh bums, and I prefer the look of the phat/cute azz. Newer isn't always better.

[UncommonTruth]

They make skins too? I never knew

[Bobbie Faulds]

Two different skin makers, not the Phat Azz maker. One retired her full old line and is slowly rebuilding with an entirely new line of skins, btw.

In a DMCA dispute, nothing is removed until and unless theye is an actual court decision. Even then, I'm not sure SL pulls the purchase stuff in people's inventory off. Just can't be sold anymore.

[Perrie Juran]

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Marianne Little wrote:

It was a DMCA case between 2 big skin designers, and the mainstore + smaller store in another sim of one was closed for about 6 months if not more. I had several skins and skinpacks from them, and they were not touched. I never read on the two forums I use, or the blog feeds, that skins were removed.

The two parts were almost to court and it was lawyers involved. Plaintiff and defendant settled for an agreement, but  they also agreed to post no details. Both stores are up and selling now.

---

That was the Curio/Hush dispute which was settled about a year ago.

A different situation.

[Perrie Juran]

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Bobbie Faulds wrote:

Two different skin makers, not the Phat Azz maker. One retired her full old line and is slowly rebuilding with an entirely new line of skins, btw.

In a DMCA dispute, nothing is removed until and unless theye is an actual court decision. Even then, I'm not sure SL pulls the purchase stuff in people's inventory off. Just can't be sold anymore.

---

When the Claimant/Plaintiff files with the Court they will ask for and usually get an injunction prohibitting the alleged infringer from selling until the case is resolved.  They can also ask the Court to issue an order to SL to "disable sales" until the case is settled.  I'm not sure what they can request about people's existing inventory at this point. 

When a DMCA is filed, the claimant may or may not identify "copies" in their claim.  If copies are identified and there is no challenge or if it goes to Court and they prevail, then yes, the copies get "poofed" and any one who had a copy gets an "IP Replacement."

So  like I said, if there is a DMCA dispute, people are at risk of losing their Phat Azzes.

There is of course one other possibilty.  A DMCA was filed.  Luck contacted the Filer and said what can we do to resolve this?  And they reached an agreement including not selling them any more.  All without going to Court.

But all of this is speculation.  Which is really all I've said.  Everyone is speculating.  Is it plausible?  Yes.  But it is still speculation.

 

[Pussycat Catnap]

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UncommonTruth wrote:

I've looked at and tried on a slew of other mesh bums, and I prefer the look of the phat/cute azz. Newer isn't always better.

---

Fitted versus not fitted.

In this case, newer IS better, in a technical sense, aesthetics notwithstanding. The newer ones can take shape dials and avatar physics.

If this brand does return, hopefully it will be in a fitted version. So that you can have your aesthetics on good technology.

 

[Aethelwine]

Wowmeh has been taken off marketplace too. There seems to be a lot of conjecture this is the result of another malicious DMCA takedown notice.

Apparenlty the creator has posted this in their group about it:

WowMeh is not available anymore to be purchased.
I understand you all (and your friends more) are really upset about this, but i kindly ask you to stop rumors and to not blaming other creators.
Thanks

I don't know the product but GamerExperts Perfect body has also dissappeared off Marketplace.

[Lina Pussycat]

It seems like LL should be looking into these things a bit deeper and if they are legit on their own. If they are getting multiple reports from a single source accusing multiple people of stealing their products they should also report the person for fradulent claims if at all possible. Getting a lawyer and all is not exactly chaep so it may be that they don't even fight it. It seems there is a mysterious slew of takedowns lately and it seems it is purposley malicious to take down popular products. 

[Pussycat Catnap]

Wowmeh has since noted that composit parts were used to build it - and that this makes it hard to prove everything was legit because the various parts, even if supplied fullperms, don't come with DMCA info on showing their own rights trails as pure.

I guess this is a lesson in the risks of using fullperms kits... you would think your supplier would get the takedown and not you... but it goes how it goes...

But I think that also suggests that it was NOT a wowmeh competitor (and there are currently only 2 or 3 of them) that filed the takedown... but more likely someone who competes with one of the components or even the supplier of one of those components (and there's no indiciation of who / why told to any of us... so speculating beyond that is unwise...)

 

Its possible that the two different takedowns are completely unrelated.

 

What is noteworthy is that neither product has come back, and the market has moved past both now. They would need significant innovation to be relevant again. Kind of like what Lolas did with its newest release... joining the fitted mesh crowd a few months late (but also giving it the time to see some earlier competitor's flaws and avoid making the same mistakes).

 

For the Phat Azz people, there's now U L U C K I E - not the first fitted mesh option, but by being second or third and already updated once; the one that's fixed problems early adopters had.

Slink's mesh body is probably the same for those looking for something like Wowmeh... Benefitting by being last to market.

In most industries being first is often the best spot to be in. And for the company in tech it usually still is. But for the customer, its usually best to buy the one who arrives late on the scene.

 

[Skajaquada]

An update on the wowmeh situation mentioned here in. The dispute has been settled and the wowmeh has been released a new update not long after the update was released though one of the creator's accounts was mysteriously hacked. So the release to the public and the updates have been suspended as the account was frozen until the hacking issue could be worked out.