If I make a 3d copy of an existing archeological treasure (something simple, a vase e. g...

[Rolig Loon]

Consult the Linden Lab policy on Intellectual Property and relevant sections of the TOS.    The permissions settings (Modify/Copy/Transfer) on any asset you have in your inventory tell you what you can do with the item, but not necessarily what you may do.

Making a copy of something or transfering it to someone else are not the same thing as claiming that you created the item.  You have a copy of the original that someone else created and still owns the intellectual property rights on.  If you make a substantial -- not "slight" -- change to it, you may be able to claim that you have created a derivative work.  Otherwise, selling it as if it was your own creation is unethical and a violation of the TOS and, potentially, US federal law (DMCA).  Many creators of mesh components, animations, and scripts sell them with the expectation that you will combine them with your own creations.  They will usually have a statement -- a license -- that tells you what you are allowed to do with the work.  When in doubt, you may either want to send a polite note to the original creator or simply make your own things.

[Rolig Loon]

Consult the Linden Lab policy on Intellectual Property and relevant sections of the TOS.    The permissions settings (Modify/Copy/Transfer) on any asset you have in your inventory tell you what you can do with the item, but not necessarily what you may do.

Making a copy of something or transfering it to someone else are not the same thing as claiming that you created the item.  You have a copy of the original that someone else created and still owns the intellectual property rights on.  If you make a substantial -- not "slight" -- change to it, you may be able to claim that you have created a derivative work.  Otherwise, selling it as if it was your own creation is unethical and a violation of the TOS and, potentially, US federal law (DMCA).  Many creators of mesh components, animations, and scripts sell them with the expectation that you will combine them with your own creations.  They will usually have a statement -- a license -- that tells you what you are allowed to do with the work.  When in doubt, you may either want to send a polite note to the original creator or simply make your own things.

[Madelaine McMasters]

Welcome to the murky world of intellectual property (IP) protection, Examining!

Whether or not you'll be infringing someone's copyright depends on how you construct your treasure. The original creator of the vase is unlikely to have a copyright on it (most copyrights go back no more than 99 years), so you needn't worry about that. Photographic reproductions of public domain works are generally considered to be public domain as well, so long as they only depict the public domain work, or you use only that portion of the photograph which contains the public domain work.

Photographs of the Mona Lisa, for example, cannot be copyrighted. Modified photographs of the Mona Lisa, such as those done by Andy Warhol, contain new and copyrightable work, and so you couldn't sell photographs of Andy's Mona Lisa. That covers textures.

If you copy the vase shape from somewhere, you'll have to be sure you have the rights to it. Otherwise you'll have to create your own shape.

Without knowing exactly what vase you're hoping to replicate, I can't be certain. But, even if you told me everything, I couldn't be certain. I'm not an IP lawyer!

;-).