A question regarding SL copyright

[chibiusa Ling]

Hey everyone,

So, I don't want to go into too much detail about this as I'm not yet ready to reveal what I am up to. But, I am currently designing a few different iOS apps that relate to Second Life. They are designed to basically help out users. They will be free and will not contain adverts, I have no intention of monetising them. However, I have some questions regarding copyright issues / other issues that I may face that I am hoping someone with more knowledge then myself might be able to answer. My two questions are as follows : 

1. As regards the app icons. Do you think It would be a copyright violation if they were to be my own vague interpretation of the SL logo. Not a direct copy but something that looks vaguely like it in my own artistic style.

2. For users of the apps who may have installed them out of curiosity and have never used Second Life. Is there any kind of issue in being able to refer them via a link to the Second Life sign up page. I have a vague memory floating round in my mind of someone doing this once and it turning out to be an issue?.

They may sound like weird questions but I want to be sure of certain things before I go ahead with them. I really do not mind making a app icons that does not look like the official logo but I like the idea of making the icon look related to SL in some way. 

Thanks

[Callum Meriman]

For the logo stuff https://secondlife.com/corporate/brand/trademark/

 

[Phil Deakins]

There is no problem at all in linking to any of the SL pages, including the sign-up page.

[Phorumities]

On 10/6/2018 at 4:24 AM, Phil Deakins said:

There is no problem at all in linking to any of the SL pages, including the sign-up page.

Years ago some companies tried to make the case that since they "owned" the URL's of their website, no one could use them to link to their website without their permission. So if for example I had a freedom website with a link that said Click Here to see what those Democrats are doing now, I could have been forced to remove it. Thankfully sanity reigned and now you can link to any website anywhere without asking for or needing permission.

 

[Chaser Zaks]

I don't think LL gives public permission to use the Eye-in-Hand logo, you probably need special written permission to do so(Which LL will very unlikely do since the eye-in-hand logo is reserved for official Second Life stuff). Variations of it probably will not fly well with LL given it is a viewer, and parody laws will not protect it in this context. You can however, use the InSL logo(unmodified be it) in some places(but not as the viewer icon or to represent the viewer), provided you follow the terms provided here: https://secondlife.com/corporate/brand/trademark/sl_insl.php

Why not make an original icon representing something public in SL? That's what I did, granted it isn't very original but it is still original(Cube for remote region administration, and sphere for a webgl viewer that I tried making but it died). It can be anything from simple cube, an island, or even a avatar(provided you own the rights to the content displayed on the avatar).

As for linking to the sign up page. Yes, you can link to the sign up page, but you should avoid embedding(Making it so you cannot see the address bar) the sign up page for reasons(EG: Wrongfully representing Linden Lab or Second Life, possible "phrishing", etc) of not risking making LL unhappy with it. Always open the registration page in a browsing context. Alternatively, if you want to embed a sign-up page, you can always apply to use the RegAPI: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Registration_API

The text above is not legally binding text and should not be used as a reference. Always consult the Second Life brand center when needing to reference or learn about Second Life's trademarks. When in doubt, contact a lawyer to have them read and answer your questions.

Edited October 8, 2018 by Chaser Zaks

[Hintswen Guardian]

On 10/6/2018 at 7:20 AM, chibiusa Ling said:

1. As regards the app icons. Do you think It would be a copyright violation if they were to be my own vague interpretation of the SL logo. Not a direct copy but something that looks vaguely like it in my own artistic style.

Yes. LL is pretty strict on what you can and can't do with their logos. You can for example use the "inSL" logo but you cannot use the eye in hand logo. There are restrictions on how things can be used detailed here as people have said above.

On 10/6/2018 at 7:20 AM, chibiusa Ling said:

2. For users of the apps who may have installed them out of curiosity and have never used Second Life. Is there any kind of issue in being able to refer them via a link to the Second Life sign up page. I have a vague memory floating round in my mind of someone doing this once and it turning out to be an issue?.

I don't recall linking to the signup page to ever be an issue. I would be opening that in the user's browser though not loading it within your app itself.

9 hours ago, Chaser Zaks said:

Alternatively, if you want to embed a sign-up page, you can always apply to use the RegAPI: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Registration_API

Hmm... I was under the impression they were no longer giving our RegAPI access other than for the custom name program

[Garnet Psaltery]

@chibiusa Ling Why not ask LL?