What the heck is up with Pokemon, Star Wars and other stuff?

[Selvyn Kohime]

I've noticed lately that all Pokemon and Star Wars content has disappeared from the MP. When will Star Trek be purged too? I don't know what Linden Labs are hoping to achieve by simply purging away all the ***** people are into, but in the long run they're going to hurt themselves and their platform by doing so. 

[Marigold Devin]

2 minutes ago, Selvyn Kohime said:

I've noticed lately that all Pokemon and Star Wars content has disappeared from the MP. When will Star Trek be purged too? I don't know what Linden Labs are hoping to achieve by simply purging away all the ***** people are into, but in the long run they're going to hurt themselves and their platform by doing so. 

The platform and Linden Lab will be hurt a lot more if/when sued on grounds of copyright infringement. This is why things keep disappearing. 

(Welcome to the forums.)

Edited September 4, 2023 by Marigold Devin

[Alwin Alcott]

10 minutes ago, Selvyn Kohime said:

 I don't know what Linden Labs are hoping to achieve by simply purging away all the ***** people are into,

first .. not "all" people are into that stuff, i dare to say you'r a minor, tiny minority.

second.. LL removes only when DMCA's are filed. Unless you want to pay the costs for the lawsuit/lawyers and outcome shout at yourself for content and intellectual theft of other peoples work.

[Doris Johnsky]

Comment on the OP then a general question

For several years people could buy replicas of  US military outfits (dress unis, field gear, etc) EXCEPT the  US Marine Corps.  They had already disallowed the reproduction of their gear YEARS ago.

 

If a "reproduction" is not allowed to be sold on MP, does that also disallow it to sold in-world?

[Ceka Cianci]

11 minutes ago, Doris Johnsky said:

Comment on the OP then a general question

For several years people could buy replicas of  US military outfits (dress unis, field gear, etc) EXCEPT the  US Marine Corps.  They had already disallowed the reproduction of their gear YEARS ago.

 

If a "reproduction" is not allowed to be sold on MP, does that also disallow it to sold in-world?

If it's been DMCA'd it won't be allowed anywhere on the platform until things are settled in favor of those that had them displayed to sell.. If it doesn't go in favor  of the one selling them here, then they won't be back..

[Solar Legion]

DMCA notices and Copyright issues.

You know, those oh so pesky things Linden Lab has to legally take action concerning when they recieve them.

[janetheslot]

Do the items get removed from IW altogether or just from MP? I found a Star Wars that had multiple vendor boxes for various in them costumes that were recommended by the RP community that used the sim. Haven't been there in a while so not sure if those are still around. I think it would be hard to monitor what people are selling IW, but definitely makes sense about marketplace removal.

Big brands have been doing the same thing to people selling branded items secondhand on eBay and Amazon Marketplace. Thats been going on for years. Basically if the brand owner has they legal team send a letter, the platform will remove the item. As someone else pointed out, dealing with lawsuits is expensive and easier to just comply with the letters when received.

[Silent Mistwalker]

18 minutes ago, janetheslot said:

Do the items get removed from IW altogether or just from MP? I found a Star Wars that had multiple vendor boxes for various in them costumes that were recommended by the RP community that used the sim. Haven't been there in a while so not sure if those are still around. I think it would be hard to monitor what people are selling IW, but definitely makes sense about marketplace removal.

Big brands have been doing the same thing to people selling branded items secondhand on eBay and Amazon Marketplace. Thats been going on for years. Basically if the brand owner has they legal team send a letter, the platform will remove the item. As someone else pointed out, dealing with lawsuits is expensive and easier to just comply with the letters when received.

DMCA items are removed from all LL servers until the legalities are resolved. If the DMCA is not disputed, the items remain gone. If it is disputed the items are "returned" to the servers. If the one who disputes loses the court case, the items are permanently removed.

Edited September 11, 2023 by Silent Mistwalker

[BilliJo Aldrin]

I guess that's why there is no more Happy Bunny stuff.

 

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

On 9/4/2023 at 5:30 PM, Doris Johnsky said:

 

For several years people could buy replicas of  US military outfits (dress unis, field gear, etc) EXCEPT the  US Marine Corps. 

 

I did not know this. I wonder why?

 

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

On 9/4/2023 at 9:14 AM, Selvyn Kohime said:

I've noticed lately that all Pokemon and Star Wars content has disappeared from the MP. When will Star Trek be purged too? I don't know what Linden Labs are hoping to achieve by simply purging away all the ***** people are into, but in the long run they're going to hurt themselves and their platform by doing so. 

Disney is a BIG outfit and they could buy the Lab with some loose change they have.

As for the US Marines --- in our a pub we have a board with some pictures of people that served in both the US and Canadian military's and Marines always had a certain rule way the pictures were displayed.

A friend who's still in world cosplays as Wonder Woman, but she told me the costumes avoid using the Wonder Woman brand --- they have some oddball names instead.

[Krystina Ferraris]

On 9/12/2023 at 5:14 AM, SpiritSparrow Skydancer said:

I did not know this. I wonder why?

 

Because the Marines have the best looking uniforms, all of them. I know because I fell for one and his dress blues lol 

[JeromFranzic]

I can find plenty of Anime stuff in the MP that's linked to mainstream characters. Naruto, Pokémon, Robotech etc.

Garfield. Calvin and Hobbes. Squid Game. ... 

 

[animats]

It looks like much Game of Thrones stuff has also disappeared.

I'm always struggling to find low-LI animesh that aren't from some franchise. I script mostly anonymous background characters - workers, security guards, etc. The franchise purge is making it easier to find useful general-purpose characters.

Edited September 14, 2023 by animats

[Aethelwine]

On 9/11/2023 at 8:44 PM, Silent Mistwalker said:

DMCA items are removed from all LL servers until the legalities are resolved. If the DMCA is not disputed, the items remain gone. If it is disputed the items are "returned" to the servers. If the one who disputes loses the court case, the items are permanently removed.

Are you sure about that?

Wowmeh was put out of business by DMCA's but my Wowmeh body still works. I don't recall my Genus heads not working when they were subject to DMCAs.

My Understanding was they were just taken off marketplace, and if they continued to be reported as being sold in world then the person responsible, likely to get banned.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Aethelwine

[Aethelwine]

It has just occurred to me it was only last night I bought someone a jedi costume because we were running a sci-fi themed party and they said they had nothing suitable. The outfit remains on marketplace, so this purge may not be total. Perhaps just "rips" from other games?

It has always been tricky area where fan creations are concerned, subject to the whims of the legal departments of the IP holders.

[janetheslot]

6 hours ago, Aethelwine said:

It has just occurred to me it was only last night I bought someone a jedi costume because we were running a sci-fi themed party and they said they had nothing suitable. The outfit remains on marketplace, so this purge may not be total. Perhaps just "rips" from other games?

It has always been tricky area where fan creations are concerned, subject to the whims of the legal departments of the IP holders.

This is interesting because in RL there is the 501st legion who do group Star Wars cosplay. As far as I know they haven't had any legal issues with Lucasfilm or now Disney. About as close to copyright infringement as you get with the requirements to have screen realistic costume to join. Maybe they have some kind of agreement in place, I'm not sure. Definitely gives the property good PR with all the charity and volunteer work they do, so maybe thats it.

[Silent Mistwalker]

8 hours ago, Aethelwine said:

Are you sure about that?

Wowmeh was put out of business by DMCA's but my Wowmeh body still works. I don't recall my Genus heads not working when they were subject to DMCAs.

My Understanding was they were just taken off marketplace, and if they continued to be reported as being sold in world then the person responsible, likely to get banned.

In most cases, yes that is how DMCA works by law (17 U.S.C. § 512).

Quote

Linden Lab may elect to not respond to DMCA Notices that do not substantially comply with all of the foregoing requirements, and Linden Lab may elect to remove allegedly infringing material that comes to its attention via notices that do not substantially comply with the DMCA. If Linden Lab decides to remove or disable access to the material, we will notify the party that posted the material, provide them with access to the DMCA Notice, and provide information on how to file a DMCA Counter-Notice (as described below).

 

Counter claim

Quote

Linden Lab may elect not to respond to intellectual property infringement notifications that do not substantially comply with all of the foregoing requirements, and Linden Lab may elect to remove allegedly infringing material that comes to its attention via notices that do not substantially comply with such requirements.

https://lindenlab.com/legal/intellectual-property-infringement-notification-policy

 

LL can and does pick and choose what if anything remains on the servers including scripts that may break things other than the DMCA item by removing them.

It doesn't do a damn bit of good to remove from sale DMCA items from the MP and NOT remove them from sale inworld.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Silent Mistwalker

[Flea Yatsenko]

8 hours ago, Aethelwine said:

It has just occurred to me it was only last night I bought someone a jedi costume because we were running a sci-fi themed party and they said they had nothing suitable. The outfit remains on marketplace, so this purge may not be total. Perhaps just "rips" from other games?

It has always been tricky area where fan creations are concerned, subject to the whims of the legal departments of the IP holders.

The rights holder has to contact LL for it to be removed. Copyrighted material on marketplace falls into three basic categories

1. Merchant has worked a deal with the IP holder of the copyright material and it's legitimate

2. The rights holder doesn't know the infringing IP is being sold and hasn't filed a DMCA yet

3. The rights holder knows the infringing IP is being sold and doesn't care because they'd rather have the advertising or whatever while someone makes money from their IP

The rights holder technically owns the rights to everything on the grid that uses their IP, so if they file a DMCA and want it removed entirely from the grid, it can be. If they just want it removed from SLMP and being sold, it can stay in people's inventories.

 

[Aethelwine]

3 hours ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

In most cases, yes that is how DMCA works by law (17 U.S.C. § 512).

 

Counter claim

https://lindenlab.com/legal/intellectual-property-infringement-notification-policy

 

LL can and does pick and choose what if anything remains on the servers including scripts that may break things other than the DMCA item by removing them.

It doesn't do a damn bit of good to remove from sale DMCA items from the MP and NOT remove them from sale inworld.

So far as I can see the links posted show two options removing completely or just removing from sale. I think at least that is what "remove or disable access to the material" means.

The only examples I am aware of where DMCA takedowns resulted in them removing things from the servers was with regards to copybot dances, including a DMCA Akeyo originated where Linden Lab removed Akeyo's own dances along with the copybot ones resulting in people losing dances they paid for temporarily, until Akeyo managed to get that fixed.. I don't recall how exactly it was a long time ago, but I do remember consternation of myself and friends having dances we paid for removed. 

Now I am of course just citing my own experience, but it is sufficient to show your claim "DMCA items are removed from all LL servers until the legalities are resolved" is incorrect. Wowmeh and Genus are sufficient to show that. I am pretty sure the same applies to some Harley motorbikes that got removed from sale and the maker ultimately banned (for relisting them)... the bikes however remain. 

You now say "in most cases", whereas before you said "all".. "most" may or may not be correct... my limited sample of experience insufficient to support or contradict the "most" claim. But what makes you think most are? the only examples I am aware that have been removed from the servers are dance animations.

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Aethelwine

[Aethelwine]

I know I am coming across as argumentative perhaps for the sake of it, but I think it is important to be correct so as not to raise undue fears amongst people that their purchases will get trashed on the servers, when they quite possibly won't.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Aethelwine

[Aethelwine]

3 hours ago, Flea Yatsenko said:

The rights holder has to contact LL for it to be removed. Copyrighted material on marketplace falls into three basic categories

1. Merchant has worked a deal with the IP holder of the copyright material and it's legitimate

2. The rights holder doesn't know the infringing IP is being sold and hasn't filed a DMCA yet

3. The rights holder knows the infringing IP is being sold and doesn't care because they'd rather have the advertising or whatever while someone makes money from their IP

The rights holder technically owns the rights to everything on the grid that uses their IP, so if they file a DMCA and want it removed entirely from the grid, it can be. If they just want it removed from SLMP and being sold, it can stay in people's inventories.

 

also 

4. the rights holder doesn't know and doesn't care

Which I suspect is actually the most common category

[Silent Mistwalker]

1 hour ago, Aethelwine said:

You now say "in most cases", whereas before you said "all".. "most" may or may not be correct

In the past LL would take it down on MP and the grid. Since then, LL has revised how they handle things possibly due to a change in the DMCA law. Still, there is the possibility that the take down will be both MP and grid. LL now claims that it now depends on what the claim contains. 

I'm not saying it gets trashed on the servers. I am saying access is denied until the case is settled either in court or out of court. Depending on the outcome, yes, it will be removed from sale both on the MP and inworld. That is the US federal law that LL must comply with.

[Katherine Heartsong]

On 9/4/2023 at 5:30 PM, Doris Johnsky said:

For several years people could buy replicas of  US military outfits (dress unis, field gear, etc) EXCEPT the  US Marine Corps.  They had already disallowed the reproduction of their gear YEARS ago.

Precisely. Any use of the Marine Corps uniforms, insignia, rank, emblems etc requires a written authorization and a license from them for any use. Even the actual word "MARINE" is under copyright by them (they have over 600 trademarked words and phrases associated with the Marine Corps, in fact).

https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/Agencies/Counsel-for-the-Commandant/Marine-Corps-Trademark-Licensing-Program/Commercial-Use/

Edited September 14, 2023 by Katherine Heartsong

[Doris Johnsky]

On 9/11/2023 at 11:14 PM, SpiritSparrow Skydancer said:

I did not know this. I wonder why?

 

They refuse to give the rights to do so.  We ARE very protective of what is ours.

^^^^^^

What she said.

Edited October 1, 2023 by Doris Johnsky