Content theft is when the work of a creator is stolen or either sold or given away without the creator's agreement. It happens all the time: passing folders of "free" hair, when you are shopping at a store and someone gives you a LM for a store where you can get the same item for a lot less money, Midnight Manias for an item at a place that sells nothing like the item or nothing at all. And it's not always this easy to spot. Content theft hurts all of us as it discourages designers from creating and operating businesses.
This is a quick and dirty run-down on some simple ways to check if content might be stolen (from Artist's Voice):
1) Click on the item and if the creator's name does not match the sellers name it could be stolen,
2) Does the shop sell mixed styles that are made by more than one creator, none of whom is the seller?,
3) How old is the creator or seller? Often content thieves use alts and move frequently to avoid detection. Never directly confront a suspected thief. Take a snapshot of the item and include it and a landmark in a notecard and send it to the creator you suspect has had his/her work stolen. If you are unsure, ask a knowledgeable friend for help, join or contact a member of Artist's Voice or Step Up, or contact Content Creators Association at cca.report@gmail.com.
The group Step UP! is encouraging nobody uploads anything to the grid on November 5th to show the economic power of people acting together. They are asking as many people as possible to wear a Step UP! ribbon to show support (various designers will be offering this or a similar item in their shops) or hold or attend a Step UP! party to celebrate content Creation.
The group Artist's Voice is also encouraging no grid uploads on November 5th. In addition they are asking that for 48 hours that everyone STOP! Stop buying Lindens, stop selling, stop blogging, stop shopping, shop creating, stop buying from XStreets (LL makes 5 L$ per transaction except on free items) to send a big message to LL that collectively we won't tolerate content theft as well as that through solidarity we can have an impact on the SL community.
Or: Contact Linden Labs directly. Fax a statement about how much you hate content theft and/or how it has affected you to (415)520-9660.
Readers, the choice is yours. Maybe you don't want to participate completely but there might be one thing you are willing to do to support these efforts. Content theft hurts all of us. Together we can make a difference.
The group Step UP! is encouraging nobody uploads anything to the grid on November 5th to show the economic power of people acting together. They are asking as many people as possible to wear a Step UP! ribbon to show support (various designers will be offering this or a similar item in their shops) or hold or attend a Step UP! party to celebrate content Creation.
The group Artist's Voice is also encouraging no grid uploads on November 5th. In addition they are asking that for 48 hours that everyone STOP! Stop buying Lindens, stop selling, stop blogging, stop shopping, shop creating, stop buying from XStreets (LL makes 5 L$ per transaction except on free items) to send a big message to LL that collectively we won't tolerate content theft as well as that through solidarity we can have an impact on the SL community.
Or: Contact Linden Labs directly. Fax a statement about how much you hate content theft and/or how it has affected you to (415)520-9660.
Readers, the choice is yours. Maybe you don't want to participate completely but there might be one thing you are willing to do to support these efforts. Content theft hurts all of us. Together we can make a difference.
Love from the Free*Style team
(and thanks to Eden for doing most of the work on this blog post)
