"What is content theft?
Content theft is when the work of a creator is stolen and either sold or even given away without the creator's agreement. Content could be anything in Second Life. It could be hair, clothes, skins, houses, furniture, transport. All of these have been stolen in Second Life. And much, much more. Content theft hurts creators. It takes away the income and the credit that should be theirs. Content theft hurts YOU - because it discourages creators from creating the rich and valuable content that makes up the world we love. So step up against content theft - join with us in saying "NO!" to content theft, and in supporting honest and honorable content creators! Don't buy stolen content!
How to spot content theft
Many owners will give away examples of their products in their stores. And there are stores that have low-cost and even free content to help newbies. But there are discount stores and free markets that may contain stolen items. If the store claims to be selling goods by well-known content creators at fantastically cheap prices, with full permissions (to modify it, to copy it and to transfer it to someone else), then it may well be stolen. If price seems too good to be true, it probably is! Use the Edit menu to check. Right Click on the object for sale, and see if the creator's name matches the name associated with the product. It doesn't? This could be stolen! Check to see if a shop is selling mixed styles that look to be made by more than one creator. Right-click on a couple of the products that seem wildly different. Do they have the same creator? It could be stolen! Look at the creator's profile. Did they start Second Life last week - and yet they're already making fantastic clothes or skins or hair? That content could be stolen - using alts is a popular trick for the thieves!
What to do if you think something has been stolen
NEVER confront the thief yourself. Content creators appreciate your support and your loyalty, but this will only put you at risk for being Abuse Reported and cause the thief to switch locations and accounts making him / her more difficult for the content creator to track. Creators need that time to investigate and gather information to file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). So - if you recognize an item that you suspect may be stolen property, please take a snap shot of the item, save a Landmark to the location and include these in a notecard to the creator you believe originated the item. If you think content in a location may be stolen, but you don't know where it originally came from, contact the CCA at cca.report@gmail.com and they will investigate quietly. Get to know your favourite content creators. Drop them a notecard saying how much you love their work - they'll really appreciate it! And building up a good relationship with the people you buy from is an excellent way of protecting you - and them - against being the victim of thieves.
Because when you buy stolen content - you're a victim of the thief too!"
Have a wonderful day!
Content theft is when the work of a creator is stolen and either sold or even given away without the creator's agreement. Content could be anything in Second Life. It could be hair, clothes, skins, houses, furniture, transport. All of these have been stolen in Second Life. And much, much more. Content theft hurts creators. It takes away the income and the credit that should be theirs. Content theft hurts YOU - because it discourages creators from creating the rich and valuable content that makes up the world we love. So step up against content theft - join with us in saying "NO!" to content theft, and in supporting honest and honorable content creators! Don't buy stolen content!
How to spot content theft
Many owners will give away examples of their products in their stores. And there are stores that have low-cost and even free content to help newbies. But there are discount stores and free markets that may contain stolen items. If the store claims to be selling goods by well-known content creators at fantastically cheap prices, with full permissions (to modify it, to copy it and to transfer it to someone else), then it may well be stolen. If price seems too good to be true, it probably is! Use the Edit menu to check. Right Click on the object for sale, and see if the creator's name matches the name associated with the product. It doesn't? This could be stolen! Check to see if a shop is selling mixed styles that look to be made by more than one creator. Right-click on a couple of the products that seem wildly different. Do they have the same creator? It could be stolen! Look at the creator's profile. Did they start Second Life last week - and yet they're already making fantastic clothes or skins or hair? That content could be stolen - using alts is a popular trick for the thieves!
What to do if you think something has been stolen
NEVER confront the thief yourself. Content creators appreciate your support and your loyalty, but this will only put you at risk for being Abuse Reported and cause the thief to switch locations and accounts making him / her more difficult for the content creator to track. Creators need that time to investigate and gather information to file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act). So - if you recognize an item that you suspect may be stolen property, please take a snap shot of the item, save a Landmark to the location and include these in a notecard to the creator you believe originated the item. If you think content in a location may be stolen, but you don't know where it originally came from, contact the CCA at cca.report@gmail.com and they will investigate quietly. Get to know your favourite content creators. Drop them a notecard saying how much you love their work - they'll really appreciate it! And building up a good relationship with the people you buy from is an excellent way of protecting you - and them - against being the victim of thieves.
Because when you buy stolen content - you're a victim of the thief too!"
Have a wonderful day!
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