hi everyone...
i have decided to write a letter to the content creation community about the very real issue we are facing (and have always faced) about protecting our content. also about being forthright in our business practices, and supporting each other along the way.
many challenges have arisen in this world as it evolves, grows and changes. my hope is that by sharing a few thoughts, i can answer the many questions and notecards i get daily on this subject. i simply don't have time to answer each different person, hence the reason for this post. these are just some of my thoughts about the subject and are not meant to be taken as legal advice or anything of that sort.
i'll post my thoughts in bullet points as i am prone to ramble.
1. protection starts with the creator. do your homework, find out how you can protect yourself.
2. avoid "reacting" to the "latest" scare, take a deep breath and realize this is part of a long process.
3. in as much as possible, try to refrain from yelling inflammatory things to "alleged" thieves, it seems to weaken and cheapen the "groups" credibility when one yells such things as "you should rot in hell you f*ing thief!"
4. be careful when accusing others, no matter what evidence you have. use the term "alleged thief" or "alleged theft"... you need to protect YOURSELF in this as well. the last thing you want is a RICH "alleged" person suing YOU for slander. and that is exactly what someone can do. if something has NOT gone to trial and someone has not been pronounced "guilty", YOU will be the one at risk if you blog, type and post things saying, "so and so is a thief".
5. realize there are more of us than them and we will work through this. try not to lose heart.
6. try to stay positive and encourage each other (which so far seems to be going great)
7. if you pass out private im chats, you are breaking TOS rules and YOU can suspended.
8. refrain from any reactions where you are "breaking the rules".
one of the most important things i want to say is this... in as much as you can, look at the ways YOU may be "stealing". i have heard in designer groups, people asking for 'hack codes' for the new PS, maya, etc. and no one has said anything about that. is it ok for us to use software we did not purchase, stolen, if you will, and then expect someone to protect us? just a question for us to ask ourselves... i've heard it so many times... people asking for copies of software, textures and other things and using them in a way not intended by the original creators.
i think we need to look at every way we conduct our businesses. are any of us who have had things stolen, using stolen, or "borrowed" software or textures to create our goods?
we all make mistakes, have things we "turn our heads about", or justify... and so will those who "lift, steal, copy" things... they may not think it's a big deal, any more than some who use 'unbought' software do. i have heard people say... "well ADOBE is a big company, it's different, i'm just one person"... if you are a "big" designer... or appear to be, a "alleged thief" may justify their actions by saying "oh well she owns a big sim and is so huge... i'm just a little person."
again, these are just a few of my thoughts. i'm learning as i go, re-examining myself, my practices, making necessary adjustments, and it's been eye opening to dialogue about this with others whom i respect.
i'm not sure if this post will even be of any help to anyone. i know how it feels to have one's works stolen, and it's not cool. it makes you want to just give up. my incidents were never brought public, and have seemed to be handled ok. we'll see.
we can hope that LL can assist us as we journey through this process of raising awareness, and hopefully coming up with something that discourages theft, but ultimately, the power is in OUR hands and there are more of us than them.i've seen the amazing power of our community to raise awareness, money, and blaze new trails. i believe we can do that with this issue as well. our community is full of amazingly talented, smart, and hardworking people.
one last thing to ponder... in any business, one must figure "theft" into one's business plan. it will always be a fact of doing business. the LARGEST companies in the world are not protected. (only one in 3 versions of microsoft is ever purchased, and good ol bill is doing quite well) but from disney to louis vuitton, rolex to "the gap", there are blatant knock offs in every major city in the world. that's just part of it... so we must remember that too.
i write this with the hopes that some of this information is helpful to us as a community and to encourage us to "ACT" and hold back from "reacting", and to try to maintain a professionalism as a whole. i am proud to be a part of this community and i truly believe we will make it though this challenge and come out stronger.
respectfully,
caLLie cLine
p.s. i wrote most of this letter, save a few edits some weeks ago... and decided it was timely to post it today after being in a few meeting this week about the subject, doing a few interviews, and also speaking to chez about the
campaign he started. (which is GREAT!!!!!)
Iris Seale of Punch Drunk gave all her group members a sneak attack shopping station, and I jumped fast on the teleport button and joined the fun. Tomorrow Iris releases her new items to the public. The Enayla Collection is Iris's beautiful new gowns and I wanted to share with you the release she sent:
Hair: ETD Camille -Elika's Red, Eyes: Canimal Essence Soul - Blue, Skin: Canimal Essence Grace, Dress: Pin Up Dolls - Cosmo Gown Ice Blue, Jewelry: Dahlinks Double Strand Classic Grey Pearls.
Hair: ETD Camille -Espresso Burnt, Eyes: Canimal Essence Soul - Brown/Green, Skin: Canimal Essence Mystery, Dress: Pin Up Dolls - Cosmo Gown Citris Tist, Jewelry: Dahlinks Urban Cheek Black Pearl and Silver Necklaceand Earrings, Shoes: Maitreya ChiChi Black.
