Alphaville Herald

Op/Ed: Who is Being Edged Out?

by Jessica Holyoke

As Zindra edged closer to completion, one of my Feminist groups popped up saying that now was the time to remove rape from Second Life, or at least its advertisement or feature in Groups.  They said now was the time to focus on how rape is a violent crime against women.  The description always bothered me because it ignores same sex rape for either gender or if a man were raped by a woman.  I tried at the time to visit gay sims that presented rape as a possibility but apparently no girls were allowed. 

Another one of my groups, Stop Violence Against Women, pointed out another group that stated as its goal the promotion of rape and violent torture of young girls.  That group was abuse reported and closed due to its content but the Anti Violence group was surprised to see another group mentioning rape, torture and dolcett was allowed to stay. 

In response to the other torture group being allowed to stay, a member responded how, as a practitioner of BDSM, most members of that community were opposed to rape, death porn and scat, even though no one brought up excrement as a possible violent act against women. 

“Secret” NDA for Huxley: The Dystopia Leaked!!!

Shhhhhh... don't tell anyone

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

now being translated for your convenience

Huxley is a long anticipated Korean bloodfog-oriented MMO now accepting signups for a closed beta in north america. The trailers for the game include just barely enough cybergrrrls with guns to make the first person shooter look interesting, and the graphics certainly put Second Life to shame, but what doesn't these days? Still, we have to wonder what IJJI’s legal team was thinking.

Is it standard practice to have a non-disclosure agreement says the existence and terms of the agreement are confidential -- then publish the NDA on the front page of your web site where search engines can get at it?

Are IJJI’s lawyers going frag Google for ganking their secret NDA?

LL Playing Gotcha With Land Baron?

IntLibber Brautigan's frozen accounts can’t sell L$ to pay bills

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

  A surprising note appeared on the Ancapistan Capital Exchange website tuesday evening - accord to the press release, IntLibber Brautigan’s virtual land business is having some difficulty covering land tier payments to Linden Lab due to the Lab’s L$ spacebux currency conversion limits.

Linden Lab has an officially sanctioned real money exchange - the Lindex - which players use to both purchase game currency and sell L$ for hard currency. While Linden Lab’s primary business is renting virtual land, a number of entrepreneurs act as middlemen between the Lab and ordinary game players, and accept payment for land rental fees (land tier) in L$. Although the Lab has promoted the in-world economy as a way to make real world money, it only accepts hard currency for land tier payments - and controls the amount of virtual currency that an individual can sell for hard currency.

Apparently, this has left IntLibber Brautigan in a bind, as he claims to have $8000 USD worth of virtual money trapped in accounts that are locked due to delinquent land tier payments.

Legend City Online Fashionista Drama-fest

Should non-payment of land tier result in removal of all creator's content? 

by Jessica Holyoke

Over on Metaversally Speaking, there is a post about a dispute on one of the new OpenSim-based virtual worlds, Legend City Online.   According to the account, Simone Stern volunteered content to Legend City, as well as her name and goodwill.  In return, she was comped the use of land.  Part of the dispute lies in how long she was to be comped for precisely, whether for one month or longer, and if the free sim use was part of a more elaborate deal.   Eventually, Simone was locked out of Legend City online for non-payment of tier.  But her store and content are still active.  A resident there can buy her products and still use them, with legend dollars going into Simone's now inactive account.

Now Metaversally Speaking is stating that Legend City Online stole her content, by retaining her uploads and her fashions and continuing to sell them.  This is despite this Legend City Online Terms of Service provision: 3. Your Retention of Intellectual Property . . . (b) You agree that any content downloaded into or created items in world give Legend City Online automatic rights to use, produce, and or distribute within our services and this content is royalty free, worldwide and carries no balance for fee. Furthermore, you agree that you have the right and are authorized to grant us such content under these conditions.  

The question is, if in a billing dispute, should the content that Simone uploaded to the server now be removed and how much of it should be removed?  For instance, some commentators are saying that if Simone can't log into Legend City Online, then none of her content should be present. [odd that these  commentators are not making similar demands of Linden Lab - another game company known for bans that orphan user-created content and revenues -- the Editrix].

Virtual Sex Industry Mud Wrestling Continues

Corsi Mousehold suspended for “disclosure” after posting SexGen contract chatlog in-world?
SL Sexbed Industry's Dirty Laundry -- Part 3

by Pixeleen Mistral, Irrational Affairs desk

Just how messy the SexGen trademark disagreement between Stroker Serpentine and Corsi Mousehold has grown became clear when my iMojowire 3g went off this afternoon. Corsi Mousehold had located a screenshot of an IM chat with Andrea Faulkner and sent a copy of the screenshot to the Herald. In the chatlog, it appears that Stroker’s deputy Faulkner relays words of Stroker’s agreement to allow independent sale of the SexGen platinum bed.

the chatlog - closeup and transcript after the jump

While the undated chat does not explicitly grant Mousehold the right to use the SexGen trademark, it contains a suggestion that Mousehold had filed a DMCA takedown notice against Mr. Serpentine’s business - presumably for unauthorized use of content -- most likely animations or scripts used in the SexGen sexbeds.

SL Sexbed Industry's Dirty Laundry -- Part 2

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Corsi Mousehold's content inside SexGen bed sold at Stroker Serpentine's store

In part 1 of this report, we heard from Stroker Serpentine - virtual sex entrepreneur and owner of the SexGen trademark - and learned he is now taking an active role in protecting the good name of SexGen.

To hear the other side of the story I contacted Corsi Mousehold - a community leader in FurNation and also a virtual sex entrepreneur. In interviews friday and saturday, I learned how sexbed scripter Briggi Bard had a falling out with Mr. Serpentine, how Corsi became involved in the creation of a 150 animation sexbed, and how Corsi plans to fight if a negotiated settlement cannot be reached. It seems clear that some sort of shakeup is likely in the Second Life virtual sex industry as money concerns and partnerships gone sour roil the waters.

SexGen Trademark Turmoil - SL Sexbed Industry's Dirty Laundry

Trademark owner Stroker Serpentine goes after Corsi Mousehold

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

---

"I will be thrilled to talk at length about how he is selling my animations without permission and using Briggi's scripts without permission... I have been using the name SexGen with his blessing for TWO YEARS." - Corsi Mousehold

"Briggi doesnt deserve to be dragged into this. Corsi is the very reason we aren't partners to this day. I care a lot for Briggi. We were best friends for years - until the mouse came into the picture. Corsi is a manipulative leech." - Stroker Serpentine

---

Cosri Mousehold - SexGen animator and a pet owed by the wonderful Mistress Briggi Bard - SexGen scripter

What has apparently been an ongoing struggle within the virtual world sex bed business went public friday, with Stroker Serpentine and his lawyer contacting the Herald to claim trademark infringement for unauthorized use of the term “SexGen” in a paid advertisement for Corsi’s Creations new line of sex beds - beds that animate avatars in a variety of sexually explicit poses.

Before responding to Mr. Serpentine and his lawyer’s request for removal of the disputed ad, the Herald consulted with Ms. Mousehold and suggesting that the advertisement had probably served it purpose. Hearing no strong objections from Ms. Mousehold, the ad was removed, but not before a bitter dispute between former collaborators was uncovered. Over the next day, I interviewing both Stroker Serpentine and Corsi Mousehold. The third member of what seems to be a love business triangle - Briggi Bard - was unavailable for comment.

Linden Lab Governance Team Blinks - Reverses Itself

Tizzers BnT brought back from the dead

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Tizzers at Fort Longcat

A tense stare down developed between residents of Second Life and the Linden game gods earlier this week - part of a struggle over avatar naming rights and a series of preemptive account bans in the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the players. Suggestions of corruption and manipulation of the ban hammer wielding governance team surfaced, and at least a dozen innocent accounts with the first name Tizzers were removed from the people list in Second Life.

But after an unscheduled secret meeting of the Linden Lab governance team thursday, Tizzers BnT was brought back to life, and has now re-joined the world - perhaps acknowledging that Linden governance had overstepped its bounds -- and the power of the virtual press to expose government wrongdoing.

Thursday night the reincarnated TIzzers BnT told me, “g-team had a huge meeting today that was not schedule, after the article came out, before tizzers bnt reappeared”.

When I asked how one might detect a Linden givernance team meeting, Tizzers said, “they were all showing as online at the same time, even harry was on ‘til much later than normal”.

Casino Gambling Returns To Second Life

Does Linden Lab approve of gambling for Z$s purchased with L$s ?

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Z$s cannot be converted to L$s -- so you can cash out here

Just over a year ago, Linden Lab banned gambling in Second Life, a change that sent the in-world economy into a tailspin as virtual casinos across the grid shut down and gamblers took flight from the Lab’s virtual world entertainment product. But now, the casinos are back -- operating under an interesting interpretation of both US law, and apparently within the Linden’s Terms of Service, according to the virtual casino owners.

How is this possible? The creators of the Z$ Zorkmid fictitious currency claim there is a loophole in both the TOS and US law. By using a fictitious currency which cannot be converted directly into L$s, playing games of chance is not really gambling - instead it is a harmless and legal entertainment.

After not gambling on roulette, slot machines, black jack, and similar amusements, pretend punters can pay L$1 to play a game of skill and convert their Z$ winnings into L$s. The object of this game is to match pairs of identical images - with a two minute time limit. The level of skill required is such that most metaverse residents are very unlikely to lose unless they are subject to one of the seemingly random crashes of the SL client software - or massive lag.

One-Hour Abortion Clinic Opens In Second Life Mall

Mall cop says Minerva Linden deleted prim fetus after pro-life group abuse reports --
W-Hat Goons’ Whatview Valley Mall also features Apple Store, Rei’s Rocks, Invisible Prim store

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

teens welcome

Shoppers in WHAT sim will be pleased to learn that the conveniently located Whatview Valley Mall claims to have Second Life’s first and only prim baby abortion clinic. Teens are welcome, and prices start at L$1999, with souvenir photographs available for L$500. A number of virtual world business analysts are now touting this development as a business opportunity with strong growth prospects, given the prevalence of unprotected cybersex in SL, and recession-proof demand for convenient prim baby termination services.

However, there are still challenges for the virtual abortion industry. According to Whatview Valley mall cop Zac Wilcke, there has been some trouble at the abortion clinic recently due to pro-life Second Life residents - leading to abuse reports and and a visit from game god Minerva Linden who apparently deleted the fetus from an in-progress partial birth abortion.

Investors in the clinic were relieved to note that Minerva Linden left in place the shopvac and blood spraying from one of the customers being serviced, sending a clear message about Linden Lab's “Community Standards” enforcement - and also establishing a precedent that allows for at least some sorts of avatar abortions, although not those held to be illegal in the United States. The US Supreme court recently upheld a law banning the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, so Linden Lab may be seen as simply complying with the law of the land - and helping bring Second Life even closer to real life.

ESC to IRS: We Want Beef!!!

Giff Constable and Michael Morton refuse to repay workers for taxes the IRS says the Sheep should pay

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

After acknowledging an IRS ruling stating Second Life in-world greeters the Electric Sheep Company employed to help visitors to the CSI:NY metaverse/television cross promotional event are ESC employees rather than contractors, the ESC is now changing it’s tune.

Rather than compensating employees for the employer tax/social security contributions the ESC should have made assuming that the workers are actual employees, the company is now taking a defiant line - and says that the IRS ruling is wrong.

While this approach will certainly result in more publicity for the Electric Sheep Company, some observers wonder at the potential costs - wouldn’t it be simpler to just pay the back taxes and move on to developing the metaverse? Or are the ESC accountants and lawyers simply enjoying a bit of roleplay after already having written off the tax costs for misclassified employees? Perhaps it is cheaper to pay the lawyers and accountants than the employees?

Intellectual Property: A Tiny Affair

Who owns the rights to pictures of Tiny avatars?

by Kris Dibou

an example of the disputed illustrations

As I was working on a story for the Herald (regarding a fellow who was writing a children's book on heart health) including illustrations make from screenshots of Tiny avatars in Second Life, I received this note from Ms. Wynx Whiplash, one of the creators of the Tiny avatars:

  In response to accusations by certain parties; I, Wynx Whiplash, am releasing this statement.  All parties except myself will remain nameless as I do not wish to cause others the harm they seem to wish to cause me.

    Thursday May 8th, 2008, I was contacted by a Second Life resident who claimed to be authoring a pamphlet to educate children on the risks of heart disease and I was informed that images of my work were going to be used.  I was taken aback that I had not been consulted first for the use of the images of my avatars.  The resident told me that he did not require my permission.  I politely begged to differ and was concerned for the reactions of other residents whose work he was also photographing.
    Feeling rather upset that someone felt they could use images of my characters whether I wanted them to or not, I unwisely continued the conversation, trying to be helpful, which is my usual demeanor when speaking to someone via instant message. 

IRS Says Virtual Greeters Are Real Employees

Electric Sheep Company VP Giff Constable confirms IRS ruling

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Misty and Maia are employees - not contractors

This weekend, the Second Life Herald learned that the Internal Revenue Serivce has ruled the greeters employed by the Electric Sheep Company for the CSI:NY metaverse/television cross promotional event are ESC employees rather than contractors. The ruling is significant - it suggests a number of Second Life players-turned workers had their employment status misclassified over the last 6 months. By treating workers as contractors, ESC minimized its paperwork and avoided responsibility for federal tax withholding - as well as sidestepping the employer’s social security withholding contribution.

The CSI:NY hypervent was met with mixed success, but continues on a reduced scale providing work for a number of metaverse residents. I spoke with two greeters in-world sunday evening who confirmed that they were still treated as contractors between assisting confused new players:

Pixeleen Mistral: so... are you an employee of the Electric Sheep Company? or a contractor?
Misty Durant: Pixeleen, we are all contractors
Misty Durant: and that's about all we are free to share with you
Pixeleen Mistral: the ESC says so, right? but what if the IRS says otherwise?

Op/Ed: The Biggest Threat No One Is Talking About

by Jessica Holyoke

I went to the Virtual Law Conference a few weeks back, courtesy of Virtually Blind.  While there, I talked to two lawyers who would bring about the end of Second Life (r) as we know it and no one seems to care.

Dave Echloness is an Employment lawyer out of Colorado.  In his presentation on one of the tracks, it was his contention that if you had employees in Second Life, then you would need to follow the employment laws of where the employee lived.  There's two fantastic things about that.  The first is that if I lived in New Jersey and I worked for someone in New York, that doesn't mean the New York employer has to follow New Jersey employment laws.  What he is suggesting is an impossible maze of regulatory requirements based on employee location when that location is unknown.

Copyright, Content & Behavior: The Vagina Monologues

by Jessica Holyoke

As reported here, http://sexsecond.blogspot.com/2008/01/is-hbo-stopping-vagina-monlogues-in-sl.html, HBO has stated that the in-world production of the Vagina Monologues be halted due to HBO holding the broadcast rights to the production.  Vday.org, the holder of the live performance rights, told the organizers of the SL Vagina Monologues that they had to rescind their authorization of a live performance due to the nature of HBO's broadcast rights.

Copyright treats various types of performances differently.  Going to a real life club and seeing a cover band would entails the band or the bar paying for a performance right.  If that band wants to create an album with those songs, they have to pay a statutory license to the song writer.  If they want to sample a song in a song,  they would have to pay the song writer and the performer a license.  But if they make a video of the song, then they have to pay a film synchronization license, which is more expensive.  (The story of the movie Clerks is that it cost $5000 to produce, until they started looking for music to play in the film.)

If SL is considered an audio-visual work under the copyright statute, then all of the club owners are violating the license held by the internet radio stations.  While there is no other movement on a licensing front, SL could be the next Napster or Grokster.

In the meantime, look for more information on In The Pink at http://sexsecond.blogspot.com/2008/01/our-day-in-sl.html .

Scripter d3adlyc0d3c Retires From PN Griefing Group

PN griefers issue security alert for d3adlyc0d3c’s version of SL client
Does LL’s open source GPL license require publishing exploits?

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Even the most jaded metaverse resident may raise an eyebrow at the idea that Linden Lab’s open source software license could compel sharing exploits among griefers. But this is the legal theory being advanced by members of the notorious PN griefing group - who would benefit from a peek under the covers of d3adlyc0d3c’s modified version of the ShoopedLife client. The PN has also issued a security alert warning against using the modified SL client until they inspect it's inner workings. It is unlikely that the irony of the PN issuing security warnings and invoking GPL legal arguments is lost on anyone - except PN members.

Why is there such a high level of interest in a 3rd party SL client? Until retiring recently, Mr. Cod3c was one of the main scripters for the PN, and his latest work holds out the possibility of taking advantage of a number of exploits to evade various parcel bans - shifting the balance of power from the landowner to the griefer. Thus far Mr. Cod3c has resisted calls to publish his exploits - explaining in a series of exclusive interviews with the Herald that he wants to go straight and rejoin mainstream SL society. This may place him on shaky legal ground with respect to the GPL-licensed SL client from which the griefer-friendly ShoopedLife client is derived. Most Internet lawyers agree that under the GPL derivative works must publish source code - but what happens when the modified source may illustrate serious exploits in SL itself?

the retirement announcement

Our story begins before Christmas as Mr. Cod3c explained to the Herald that much of the charm of griefing was gone, saying "I have decided to call it quits due to many many personal reasons, including but not limited to, our legal grey area and the fact that we may be vulnerable to civil or even criminal prosecution. Another reason for my retirement is that during my 'career' as a griefer I actually became a very skilled scripter. I intend to use those skills to profit in second life".

Op/Ed: I'm Too Old for This...

Why are Residents believing in Linden Lab's proclamations?

by Jessica Holyoke

The more people discuss Age Verification, the more questions are raised.   The biggest one is why are Residents believing in Linden Lab's proclamations.

The Lab states that "[w]hile not foolproof, age verification can provide an additional layer of trust for inworld businesses and Residents. It also helps ensure that minors can't gain access to inappropriate adult, mature content in Second Life."  In the first sentence, taken from the Knowledge Base FAQ given on the blog, it suggests that age verification will build up trust.  But if you page down on the FAQ, it states  "[o]ther Residents will not be able to view your age verification status -- for example, within your profile.  However, if you are on a parcel that requires age verification, other Residents on that parcel (or having access to your location information) may be able to deduce that fact."  So how does this build trust for inworld businesses and Residents?  It would seem only to do so if you restrict access to your parcel or estate to age-verified avatars.  Otherwise, a resident would never know if someone is age verified unless they ask for proof. 

The second sentence lowers the standard of what should be age-verified.  Inappropriate and mature content goes beyond sexual content and could mean other content such as excessive violence or even political speech depending on the country.  Worse is that the Lab requests that "the community . . . continue to be effective and responsible in ensuring that Residents are sufficiently protected from potentially inappropriate and/or offensive content that is adult in nature. "  Apparently, all people who use SL need to be protected from content, not just minors. 

Age Verify or AgeLock?

by Jessica Holyoke

Agelock - another path to implausible deniability

As Age Verification continues to throw residents for a loop; some cannot verify, some can verify using false information, parcels marked as mature content are not allowing age verified people in, more and more questions are raised as a competing service, AgeLock, is being offered.

AgeLock is a database linked to a scanner placed on mature land.  It provides a drop down window that asks if you are over 18 and asks for your birth date to enter in a database.  Your birthdate and avatar name are linked and would allow you to access adult content anywhere AgeLock is used.  Conceptually, its just like the adult internet sites that ask if you are 18 or over before allowing you to view the content inside.

Stronger Protection for Virtual Sex Toys in SL

Stimulating prospects for fapping-based economy?

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Benjamin Duranske reports at the Virtually Blind site that a judgement by consent has been filed, settling the copyright and trademark lawsuit brought by several SL content creators against SL resident Rase Kenzo’s real life typist Thomas Simon.

The content creators - including part time nude model Stroker Serpentine - will take away $525 USD in damages from Rase Kenzo - and priceless publicity for their products - having established a what Virtually Blind refers to as “the first formal, if tentative, recognition of virtual property by a U.S. court”. Stroker Serpentine’s SexGen bed is generally acknowledged to be a valued addition to many resident’s virtual McMansions and starter castles/dungeons - and unauthorized copies of the SexGen bed helped spark the lawsuit.

Midas Bank Insolvent - Trouble On The WSE

L$ Spacebuck banking risks get real - liquidity crisis spills over to stock exchange

by Jessica Holyoke

The Midas Bank touches insolvency - creates WSE stock ripples

As suggested in the comments on the SL Crime Wave! - L$3 Million Bank Heist!!! story, Midas Bank is another bank facing insolvency. 

Mr. Midas Commons owns Midas Bank.  He also ran Empire Funds, one of the last known holdings of Ginko Financial.  Midas Bank reported 0.10% daily interest on deposits, which places it in the bottom of the Outlander Bank Survey of daily bank rates.  Back in February of 2007, Midas Bank was described as being primarily invested in gambling and casinos, but weathered the gambling ban for a time. The deposits were listed as being re-invested in loans, capital ventures and WSE and AVIX investments.  As of November 2nd, Midas Bank claimed L$8 million in deposits.

While there have been some concern about Midas Bank's financials, no public signs of trouble occurred until November 2nd.  Midas Commons released a notecard stating that an interest payment that was due on Hope Capital Bonds (HCB) was not paid.  Midas reported having L$3.5 million invested in HCB. The Second Life Exchange Commission reports that L$650,000 was owed to Midas Bank as the interest payment on their HCB holdings.   The WSE reported on October 16th that there would be no interest payment on HCB as scheduled in early November.  Midas Bank contacted the WSE stating that there would be liquidity problems if the interest payment was not paid as promised.

Stop Acting Childish

LL reminds residents they really don't like ageplay

by Jessica Holyoke

What about babyfur avatars?

In another 5pm post from the Labs, Ken D Linden reminds the Community that Sexual Ageplay is not allowed on Second Life.  This is not the first warning - but this time the Lab goes a bit further detail and scope.

The unsurprising prohibition is the depiction prohibition.  You can't "appear to represent minors" in any Sexual or Lewd Act .  Keep in mind that any form also includes text.  So if you and your partner look like adults, you may not be able to call him "Daddy".  (...whether, based on the circumstances, an avatar is speaking or acting like a child (e.g. "My Mommy says...")). 

The second non-surprising no-no is showing children in a lewd or sexual manner.  So at least one of the Lisae Boucher pictures of this summer might be prohibited using this definition - depending on who you are and how you define lewd.

Will the Discrimination Never End? Bush Calls for Ban on Furries.

by Urizenus Sklar, POTUS and Furries Desk

I don't know how we missed this, but we only just picked up the story via Raw Story, which in turn gets the story via Bloggers for Brownback in an article entitled Furries: A Twisted Freak Show of Utter Depravity. The Lefties at Raw Story think its a parody, but we know parody and we know better. Bloggers for Brownback are every bit as serious as we are!

Quoting B4B:

"Fortunately President Bush has recognized the danger of furries and has spoken out against them:

[Quoting the State of the Union Address]: "America Must Recognize The Value Of Every Life. The President called on Congress to pass legislation to prohibit ... creating human-animal hybrids...."

“And furries are completely sick and wrong,” President Bush later added, off the record. “The less said about them the better.” We couldn’t agree more. Well said, Mr. President. We salute you.

But, not surprisingly, “Great” Britain is forging ahead, blissfully unaware of the Pandora’s Box they are opening. The consequences could be dire for the entire planet. Furries around the world rejoiced at this news. Satan himself let out a hearty cheer."

And yes, Nacon, this is important newz, so stuff it.

LL Ducks Responsibility

Our world, your liability

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Will university faculty be held responsible for bringing students to the libertine free for all educational opportunity that is Second Life? How long until controversy spills over to real life for in-world harassment? Michael Bugeja, director of the school of journalism and communications at Iowa State University, asks these questions in his Second Thoughts about Second Life piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The article suggests that lawsuits can be brought against faculty and their institutions when participation in Second Life is required or recommended and harassing behaviors occurs in-world. Of course, it is hard to imagine harassment in-world. Not evah! There are almost no hard ass pipe hitting PNs in SL who indulge in greifing "for the lulz". So - this is not a problem. What on earth was Bugeja worrying about? Perhaps he was listening to legal council? Sadly, it appears so.

Melissa Blevins - a lawyer who practices civil law - is quoted as saying “If you're requiring participation, holding classes in Second Life, you and/or your institution also may be accepting liability for virtual events that happen there”.

Dutch Politicians Furious With Prosecutor for Dropping SL Ageplay Investigation

by Luuc Writer

Luuc Writer (Lucien Baard irl) is a reporter for the Tentsche Courant Tubantia newspaper in The Netherlands

As reported in the Herald back in February, a Dutch prosecutor opened an investigation into ageplay in Second Life on the grounds that representations of child sex are illegal in the Netherlands, even if children were not involved in the making of the porn. Politicians in the Netherlands are now upset that the prosecutor has dropped the investigation of ageplay in Second Life. The prosecutor’s office in The Hague says the avatars are not realistic enough. Politicians now want an intense discussion with the Department of Justice concerning virtual child porn in general, and specifically in SL.

Spokesman E. Boersman of the prosecutor’s office says that they have been investigating a number of cases, but that prosecutor T. Nooij is sure that a judge will never convict their suspects. "[There is only a prosecutable case] if the virtual children are so realistic that you can't tell whether they are real or not. You have to be thinking there is really a child involved. SL is too much a computer animation."

He also said that prosecutions of child porn cases typically involve large quantities of pornographic material – something that is not the case in Second Life. "Most of the time we find thousands of pictures and movies in the suspect’s possession. [In Second Life] in some cases we find a few virtual pictures. You can imagine that a prosecutor prefers to use the real pictures, so that he is sure that he will get an conviction. You don't want to lose a case, because of the virtual porn is not strong enough evidence."

M. de Pater spokesperson of the Christian Democratic Party (CDA) believes that the Dutch law gives enough opportunities to start a legal case concerning SL-ageplay. "I am not convinced. I want to hear a good explanation why the investigation stopped. Every display of child abuse must be stopped." She gets support from other parties.

Dutch forensic psychiatrist J. Bushman earlier said that “ageplay in SL is a perfect 'school' for a pedophile." He didn’t want to comment now on the prosecutor’s decision, but is convinced that virtual child porn is extremely dangerous for real kids.

Stay tuned.

Dutch Prosecutor Drops Second Life Ageplay Investigation

“child avi’s not realistic enough”

Urizenus Sklar, Dutch Morality Desk

As reported in the Herald back in February, a Dutch prosecutor opened an investigation into ageplay in Second Life on the grounds that representations of child sex are illegal in the Netherlands, even if children were not involved in the making of the porn. Ageplay, which involves adults adopting child avatars and (sometimes) engaging in simulated sexual activities online was at the time a widespread phenomenon on the grid. Since then, Linden Lab has cracked down on ageplay and other forms of “broadly offensive” behavior, but its new policy has been criticized as vague and excessively broad by residents and legal experts alike.

While visiting the University of Twente in the Netherlands this past June, I discussed the issue of the Duch prosecutor with reporter Lucien Baard (Luuc Writer in Second Life)of the Tentsche Courant Tubantia newspaper. Lucien contacted the prosecutor’s office immediately, but was told that the matter was still under investigation. Today, Lucien reports the following:

I know what will happen: nothing. There will be no case. They think the children in SL are not realistic enough.

All of which makes us wonder: Did Linden Lab jump the gun on their new ban on the “broadly offensive?” Did they freak over nothing? Did they do the right thing anyway?

Duranske Blasts New Linden Policy on the “Broadly Offensive”

Just wondering: Who on gopod’s green pixilated earth is in charge of Linden Lab’s legal policy and why do they seem to be on a mission to destroy the company? First, there was the Bragg vs. Linden Lab fiasco, which anyone who has been paying attention would have seen as an obvious legal trap for the Lindens. Now there is the new kneejerk reaction to the problem of ageplay in Second Life, and the Linden’s new policy that they are going to remove “broadly offensive content”, ban people for such content, and enlist the population of Second Life as abuse reporting comrades to police and edit the content of this world.

Setting aside issues of morality for the moment, what is the problem with the policy? Well, according to our friend Benjamin Duranske in Legally Blind, not only is the policy “a poorly considered, dangerously over-broad, and annoyingly opaque policy statement” that “on its face prohibits every military simulation in Second Life” but worse, the Lindens have actually opened themselves up to criminal prosecution by this move. How so? Well very simple:

“it potentially takes Linden Lab out from under the protection of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and thereby exposes it to liability for Second Life users’ creations.” More below the fold. --Uri

Mario Gerosa: "Stop the Criminalization of Second Life!"

It seems like every day there is more bad press about the moral and legal problems with Second Life. Ageplay, for example, has caught the attention of courts and media outlets ranging from the US, to the Netherlands, to Germany, to France to Italy. Mario Gerosa has said "enough is enough" and is fighting back.

Readers will recall Mr. Gerosa as the real life editor of Architectural Digest Italia and author of Mondi Virtuali. He has also made headlines here and elsewhere with his projects that include a virtual tourism agency and and a convention for the preservation of virtual architecture. What will the protest amount too? At this point it appears largely symbolic -- fellow travellers are encouraged to have virtual mug shots taken. Will this protest have traction in the metaverse? Time will tell.

--Uri

"Unconscionable!" Court Blasts Linden Terms of Service, Holds that Philip can be target in Bragg Lawsuit.

Yesterday the US District Court for the District of Pennsylvania ruled on two motions by Linden Lab in the case of Bragg vs. Linden Research. One motion had to do with removing Philip Linden as a target of Bragg's lawsuit. The second issue had to do with Linden Lab's terms of service, which says that any disputes with Linden Lab must go to arbitration. Here is the skinny: Philip *can* be personally targeted, and the ToS is "unconscionable" for a gazillion reasons (We told you so!) -- indeed it is unfair in so many ways it is not even fixable by "bluelining". In other words, this baby is going to court. But beyond this decision, there was the language of the Court, which suggests that not only does the Court understand the issues, but also that Philip is in a great big shitpile of trouble. Following are some choice passages:

p. 14, regarding specific person jurisdiction

Rosedale's personal role was to "bait the hook" for potential customers to make more interactive contact with Linden by visiting Second Life's website. Rosedale's activity was designed to generate additional traffic inside Second Life. He was the hawker sitting outside Second Life's circus tent, singing the marvels of what was contained inside to entice customers to enter. Once inside Second Life, participants could view virtual property, read additional materials about purchasing virtual property, interact with other avatars who owned virtual property, and, ultimately, purchase virtual property themselves. Significantly, participants could even interact with Rosedale's avatar on Second Life during town hall meetings that he held on the topic of virtual property.

That may sound harsh, but think about it. Linden Lab is in the position of (i) telling people that the stuff they buy in Second Life is theirs, but (ii) then turning around and seizing the property. The marketing quotes from Philip are damning:

Updated: Is Business Week Stealing Herald Intellectual Property?

Update: April 18, 10:30PM Linden Time

As of 10:30 this morning the SL Herald attribution has been added to the BallerMoMo pic. Thanks to author Douglas Macmilllan for getting Business Week to fix this in a timely manner.

As Prokofy Neva noted on April 16, Business Week is running an online article in which they lead with a Herald Screenshot of ubergriefer BallerMoMo King. Business Week has been contacted by at least three Herald representatives regarding this matter, and one was told that the matter would be rectified. I personally have emailed the author of the article three times, and he has not responded to any of my inquiries.

Business Week was originally given permission to use Herald screenshots provided that they included attribution to the Second Life Herald. After initial complaints they have included attributions to three of the screenshots, but have not provided an attribution to my screenshot of BallerMoMo King. Accordingly I am revoking their permission to use any Herald screenshots in their article, and I am asking them to immediately remove all such screenshots from their website.

From Business Week, April 16.

From the Herald, December 28, 2004.

Simulating A Gambling Crackdown

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Thursday Robin Linden stimulated metaverse simulated casino owners to come up with an acceptable euphemism for simulated gambling today with the announcement that the Lab will no longer “accept any classified ads, place listings, or event listings that appear to relate to simulated casino activity”. A few Second Life casino owners noted that the world simulated gives them a great excuse to continue their ads - as long as the gambling in-world is real. With things of value being wagered, that argument may have some merit - but could raise other thorny issues.

Observers expect casino owners to take a page from the metaverse pedo-community - which simply changed their group names from “ageplay” to “roleplay” in response to a similar Linden crackdown - as reported earlier in the Herald.

It was probably pure coincidence that the Lindex L$ to hard currency exchange was seriously broken earlier Thursday - limiting options for those who feel that a simulated crackdown on metaverse casinos might affect the in-world economy. It seems hardly worth comment that the same company that lost a number of resident's billing information has promised to “implement features that will enable Residents to optionally confirm aspects of each other’s identity, including age and jurisdictions”.

With the Lab's nearly stellar record of security and reliability, most residents don’t expect any problems with the promised verification/categorization services - which would depend on the Linden Lab being able to retain records consistently. As Herald correspondent Inigo Chamberlin - a victim of the Lindens loss of his billing information this week - said, “my account was disabled, all payment info snuffed... And people told me having money in GINKO was risky? Bah - having money in SECOND LIFE is an unacceptable risk! They just broke the ONE THING that has to work”.

FBI Investigates Metaverse Casinos

G-men to consider punishing players?

by Onder Skall

Reuters reports that the FBI have been snooping around Second Life's casinos and debating what laws are being broken here.

After all, playing unregulated Poker for money is illegal - which of course means that those of you who've been playing Poker all this time have been hurting somebody somehow and should feel terrible shame about it. In fact, you should all be locked in cells where you can't harm the rest of us by playing games with each other. US law, as defined by rich old guys who lie to you, is morality. Respect it more than you respect yourself.

The particular issue is that current laws don't deal with virtual currencies. Since L$ can be exchanged for US$, there may be a violation of the nail-'em-all "something of value" phrasing of the anti-gambling statutes. The issue may not even be that the law is being broken, but rather who is to blame: casino owners, or Linden Lab.

Another Bad Hair Day: Virtually Blind Enters Fray

Same or different? Virtually Blind calls attention to the radical differences in the hair designs. (Image on right from Virtually Blind)

Herald readers will recall a recent article by Seola Sassoon on the alleged design copying by Rach Snookums. Now Benjamin Duranske (Benjamin Noble in SL) an IP lawyer currently working on a novel has written a very interesting article on the controversy in his blog Virtually Blind. Benjamin contacted Rach, and reports that she has taken a fair bit of grief since the Herald article -- "after the story broke, she was banned from many designers’ parcels, and about sixty Sellers Guild members came to her shop and were abusive to her customers". 60? Bajeebers!

Of course the central question is whether this was a case of infringement, and Benjamin weighs in as follows:

In the real world, there aren’t copyright suits over hairstyles for at least two reasons: (1) enforcement would be so expensive and the value of a potential win so low that the question is unlikely to ever make it to a courtroom, and (2) there’s a threshold question as to whether a real-world hairstyle is sufficiently “fixed in a tangible form of expression,” to qualify for protection under US copyright law.

But in a virtual world, avatars’ hairstyles are just as “fixed” as any other user-created content, and mass production of identical hairstyle designs means lawsuits are at least potentially feasible.

It is an excellent article and the Herald Brain Trust strongly recommends that interested readers check it out.

Gorean Copyright Fight

Ethics of copyright violations divide Gorean community

by Curious Rousselot

For over a year, a Gorean copyright fight has been raging over the ethics of distributing the novels of Gor in Second Life. John Norman's Gor novels are the basis for the Gorean role-play - and some eager Gorean scribes have ignored real life copyright in their zeal to spread the good word of Gor.

At issue is whether it is appropriate to distribute Second Life virtual copies of a book from the real world. 26 books, beginning with "Tarnsman of Gor", were written and published between the 1960s and 1990s. These works spawned the Gorean community and describe the core philosophies and lifestyles for the Second Life Goreans. The works are real books, and clearly covered by modern real world copyright laws.

Thraxis Epsilon and Arete Calliope fight against Gor copyright violations

Arete Calliope, the Scribe of Ko-ro-ba, and a number of others are fighting to keep the copyright of the novels of Gor respected in SL. She and her friends have succeeded in bringing the leaders of several Gor sims to their way of thinking. Arete said to me, "Well, my Ubar, Scar Statosky, is fervent in his support of my work." (An Ubar is the leader of a city in Gor). In other interviews I learned that Fidelio Matador, the owner of Glorious Ar, and Kelerion Kava, owner of The Plains sim, have both outlawed the books from being kept in their scriberies - the Gorean equivalent of a library - and the shops found in their sims.

Chilling Effect? SL Hockey League Skates Over NHL IP

by Fiend Ludwig

[Editor's note: When we sent Fiend Ludwig to cover the SL Hockey League, he found the gameplay impressive, though it looks like their merchanidising scheme could use some help from a virtual zamboni.
--Walker Spaight]

I have watched hockey for as long as I can remember. In the winter when it is cold enough I play shinny on the outdoor rink near my house. In the summer I play hockey in an arena on my in-line skates. I love hockey. A couple of days ago, I watched a hockey game in Second Life; the final game of the Second Life Hockey League's first season. Currently there are only two teams, the Whales and the Wolves, though sources tell the Herald this may expand to four next season.

Hockey probably has reasonable potential to become a popular spectator sport in Second Life, and with an increased number of teams in the league, this potential will only grow. The game appears fun to play and easy to learn. A basic equipment package is even available (almost) free -- L$1 -- at the rink. But not all was as smooth as it seemed.

Harvard Law Mock Trial: Jury Votes Bragg 6, Linden Lab 3

Since our interview with Bragg Attorney Jason Archinaco we've heard plenty of pontificating about the Bragg vs. Linden Lab case from the breathtakingly uninformed, but what would happen if a group of Harvard Law students held a mock trial? What would the jury decide? What would be the nature of their deliberations. Well, now we know. Virtually Blind sums up the deliberations thus:

The nine-member mock jury held 8-1 that Bragg was the owner of the virtual property he purchased. It also found 7-2 that Bragg’s exploit was improper, justifying Linden Lab’s decision to take the property that he acquired using the exploit. However, on the question that is arguably at the heart of this dispute, the mock jury found 6-3 that Linden Lab was not justified in taking property that Bragg had acquired without using the exploit.

There is a transcript of the jury deliberations here, and the course wiki is here. Valuable stuff and well worth the read.

Is the SL Infringement Honeymoon Over?

There is a very interesting article by John Bringardner in Law.com covering a number of issues surrounding Intellectual Property in Second Life. The topics range from copybot, to Bragg vs. Linden Lab, but the issue that caught my attention was the following:

Will the same brand owners that have spent millions trying to crack down on counterfeit goods in real-world venues like China be forced to take the fight to Second Life, too? Kenyon & Kenyon's Boyd says Second Life and other MMORPGs are enjoying a honeymoon period when it comes to IP infringement and other types of regulation. "In the next decade, these worlds will certainly garner more attention as their population grows and as the value of virtual property within the worlds increases," he says. "That increased attention will almost certainly result in companies searching those games more diligently for infringement."

That would certainly make for an interesting cat and mouse game.

Is Second Life Being Used for Money Laundering? Could it be?

Raph Koster has pointed to a sobering post by Kenneth Rijock, on the World-Check site. World-Check is a site that tracks risks world-wide, and Rijock is an attorney who has a rather interesting resume, to say the least:

He has more than 25 year’s experience in the field of money laundering, as a practising laundryman, financial institution compliance consultant, and trainer/lecturer to law enforcement and the intelligence services of both the United States and Canada. After serving as a banking lawyer in an international law firm, he spent the decade of the 1980s as a money launderer and advisor to narcotics trafficking organisations operating in North and South America.

Not addressing Second Life in particular, he raises a red flag about the unmonitored flow of money through virtual worlds *like* Second Life, and envisions scenarios like the following:

-I open 15 to 25 accounts at the virtual universe website, all with counterfeit identification.

-I fund the accounts with narcotics proceeds cash, all patiently deposited at the available ATMs by my smurfs.

-I then purchase some virtual real estate from a co-conspirator, as a partnership of my bogus identities, and funnel all the virtual purchase money into his account.

-The "seller" can then access these funds, either through ATMs, or through a bank. Perhaps I open a small bank account, using bogus ID,and obtain cashiers' cheques with my now-converted "virtual" profits.

Is this a great way to move criminal profits ? You bet it is. Have they created a " financial institution" as the term is defined in the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 ? It would seem that the answer is yes. Let us see just how long regulators and law enforcement allow this scheme to exist before taking action.

The main problem here is that opening an account in Second Life is even easier than Rijock imagines. Any unverified account will do. One wonders if some of the million or so unverified are being used for precisely this purpose already.

Linden Lab *Still* Hates Academic Freedom *and* the Free Press

It seems like just yesterday we were complaining about the Linden policies on academic freedom and free press. Not long after, we addressed Lindens about the matter face to face, and I do mean like in Real Life (remember that?). So we were eager to see what changes would be made to the Research Ethics in Second Life policy. And guess what? They still hate acacemic freedom, and they still hate free press. Let's start with their rules for the conduct of academic research:

If you are engaged in a classroom or research project, or plan to write about the Second Life community as part of your project you must contact Linden Lab via email at education@lindenlab.com. Please send a detailed proposal for us to review. If we feel you have a valid project, we will alert the community to your proposal. After we hear from the members, we'll make a final decision on whether/when you can begin. You will be asked to sign an agreement that you will adhere to our mutually agreed-on conditions of your project.

Excuse me? This is what Institutional Review Boards and human subjects committees are for. Academics conducting research in whatever setting involving human subjects have to go through a rigorous review process by experts on research ethics, and I'm sorry I don't see any fucking experts in research ethics at Linden Lab. There is absolutley no reason for the Lindens to be vetting research that might, for example, be studying how Lindens treat SL residents like rats in a cage.

You say you are a reporter and don't care about such things. Well then please keep the following in mind:

Members of the press can write generally about Second Life without following this process. However, if you plan to interview any Second Life residents please contact our Marketing Department.

Hope all you reporters are following that! (Tip of the bowler to prok for noticing the revision.)

Colonia Nova: Civilization on the frontiers of Second Life

Confederation of Democratic Expands

[editor's note: Saladin Salyut was a member of the original team that proposed the Colonia Nova project and will be a landholder in what is hoped to be a new democracy in Second Life. Here Mr. Salyut describes the project and their plans.]

by Saladin Salyut
Colonia Nova has opened to the general public for land sales. The sim,
ostensibly an "extension" of the recently renamed sim of Neufreistadt
(formerly Neualtenburg), is in fact more of a companion to the
original sim, and the newest member of the Confederation of Democratic
Simulators (CDS). Colonia Nova, at a glance, is a radical departure
from Neufreistadt's theme, a mashup of medieval Bavarian architecture
and modern themes. In truth, however, the new sim is not far from its
predecessor - at least not geographically. Colonia Nova is based
loosely on the Roman city of Colonia Agrippina, which is known in
modern times as the German city of Cologne or Koln. This close
proximity to Neufreistadt's real-world inspiration makes a connection
between the two far from unrealistic.

Residents of 400 Dreamland Sims vote to Ban PR and Marketing Flacks!!!!!

Residents vote unrepentant flacks off of 400+ islands!

In one of the most significant developments in the history of virtual worlds and Massively Multiplayer Online Games, Residents of the Second Life gated community Dreamland have voted to ban unrepentant PR Flacks from their 400-500 Sim region. Conservative estimates suggest that Dreamland consititutes 10% of the land mass and 10% of the active resisidents in Second Life -- each sim roughly equivalent to 65,000 meters of land. (Dreamland, of course was developed by SL resident Anshe Chung, who was recently featured on the cover of Business Week Magazine). Residents were apparently incensed by the recent spate of "false first" claims by PR Flacks, marketing mavens, and clueless corporations and by their arrogance and inability to admit error. The resolution:

[18:28] Second Life: Some PR agencies and RL companies have abused SL and made claims in RL media of being first to do things many SL residents have done long before them ("1st radio station in SL", "1st fashion brand", "1st tabloid").

SHOULD WE BAN THEM FROM DREAMLAND?
Group Dreamland Citizens Proposal PASSED!

Reached for comment by the Herald, Dreamland Developer Anshe Chung indicated that she had not yet determined how to enact the initiative, and plans a public statement in the near future. Clearly there is room for interpretation of the initiative. For example, it is unclear precisely how egregious an offense must be to warrant banning and equally unclear what would count as a suitably contrite apology. Presumably Ms. Chung could make these determinations by herself, or an in game court system like the Metaverse Superior Court could be called upon.

Of course these events raise profound philosophical questions...

LL Swings Ban Stick, Stays Mute on Chat Log Leaks

Asking questions that Linden Lab will not answer

by Pixeleen Mistral, Herald National Affairs desk

This week started on a happy note, as the Lindens completed their temporary weekend ban from answering the phones and began nibbling their way through the monumental task of resetting passwords for 660,000 avatars (or is it really 260,000?) after the SL customer database was compromised last week. Friendly queries from the SL Herald and others to determine if IM and chat logs were also exposed in the database leak have not been answered as of press time, but this is easily explained. Either Linden Lab simply refuses to answer, or they're too busy threatening to ban good upstanding Second Life citizens for expressing dissenting opinions on the new and exciting Official Linden Blog.

Now that the noisiest SL forums are being shut down, comment cleansing and threatening in-world disciplinary action for unhappy comments on official blogs seems to be the order of the day over at Linden Lab. With the move, Second Life joins the sterling ranks of Project Entropia (now Entropia Universe, for some reason), where dissent on any Web-based forum, whether run by the company or not, is grounds for the ban-stick. LL ain't quite that bad, but they'll ban you when you least expect it, apparently, rather than let people have their say on the shiny new blog. Wouldn't want it to get tarnished by the truth, after all.

SecondCast #30: Privacy and Private Jokes

Johnny "Jazz Hands" Ming is back, with the latest episode of Second Life's favorite podcast, SecondCast. In Episode #30 we talk to Mark Barrett, who created the SLStats.com site, which has caused no small amount of controversy among SL residents. SLStats, until Mark altered the site, tracked how much time you'd spent in Second Life, where you'd been and who you'd met there. But community pressure over privacy concerns led Mark to scale down the functionality. It's an interesting discussion over privacy concerns in general, and how they manifest themselves in virtual worlds in particular. We've been on a bit of a hiatus lately, but stay tuned for more -- including SecondCast's first taping in front of a live audience, at the recent Second Life Community Convention. Fun stuff.

SecondCast #29: zzzzz . . .

Second Cast Episode #29 is out, and it's a real snoozer! Actually, I haven't listened to it yet (I missed the taping yet again, unfortunately), but as Johnny Ming puts it in his show notes, "The show was so riveting that Cristiano fell asleep." The crew also interviews SL resident Tony Tigereye, owner of the Tropics Casino, discusses the recent Suzanne Vega concert in SL, and more on texture IP rights. Your challenge: stay awake through the entire thing.

Poof! LL's Smoke and Mirrors Do Away With Starax Statosky

Starax Statosky is no more! Linden Lab's magic wand has apparently done away with him. The master scripter, whose own magic wand had become one of the most popular SL diversions over the last six months or so -- even being featured by kingpin Philip Linden at a talk at Google -- no longer appears in the in-world Search utility, and forum traffic has it that his land is now owned by Governor Linden. It was well known that LL's last patch broke Starax's wand, but it seems it broke his will as well. Which raises an important question: How big does your wand have to be to believe that the patchwork software that is SL isn't still a beta product? It's been more than three years since SL came out of beta and went "live," but so far it has not even come close to resembling anything like a stable product. Claims that you can make a lot of money in SL -- as Starax had -- are all well and good. But the Lab isn't exactly going out of its way to inform users that their source of income may be cut off at a whim. And with bigger and bigger projects coming in-world from the likes of radio stations, educational institutions and hit bands like Duran Duran, it's only a matter of time before one of these undertakings crashes to the ground under the weight of LL's "change anything anytime" development paradigm. Let's just hope the lawsuits aren't aimed at the residents who are providing all that content. Not to mention the fact that people build real lives in SL -- only to have the ground shift beneath them just when they thought they'd found a safe place to get their fill-in-the-blank on. If they should be holding off, it's up to LL to inform them. And just putting it into the ToS isn't enough. Here's hoping your project doesn't go poof too.

SL's Second-Class Citizens Lead a CaddyShack Second Life

by Pixeleen Mistral, Herald sports desk

Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a miracle -- It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole! --Caddyshack (1980)

Philip Linden takes advantage of unverified labor during the Holly Kai Ocean Nine's opening day

In the wake of recent changes made by Linden Lab, which no longer requires payment information to be collected from new members on free, or "unverified," accounts, a split has developed between residents who think the changes are all for the good, and those who fear they can only mean an influx of unaccountable griefers to the virtual world. But how do the unverified themselves feel about being looked on by some as second-class citiazens within Second Life? Herald sports reporter Pixeleen Mistral visited the Holly Kai Ocean Nine golf course recently to find out. Here is her report:

The Unverified Unverifieds
Even if you've been locked in a decompression chamber for the last week and a half, you know that golf is the hottest new SL sport. But if sport is a microcosm of society, what larger meaning can be found in the duffers that are now flocking to Second Life? Is the the Holly Kai Ocean Nine to be the set for a Bill Murray movie in SL? And why are all the caddies named Unverified?

Plastic Duck On the Air This Thursday

The Duck is back! Even a letter to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from Linden Lab PR operative Catherine Linden couldn't stop him. At long last, the infamous CBC interview with alleged griefer extraordinaire Plastic Duck -- who took third place in competition for the Herald's coveted 2005 Avatar of the Year award -- is being aired. (Other residents are featured as well, of course.) The program goes on this Thursday, July 6, at 9:30 in the morning, though check the schedule for local listings. You should be able to listen on the streaming section of the CBC site as well. Find out if the Duck's really dirty, or if Catherine has been smoking quack. (Sorry, couldn't resist. Note to Coco: You can blame Walker for that one, just fyi. :)

SL Residents Protest New Members

SL's third birthday celebration was not without its excitement and controversy today -- although it wouldn't be SL if it had been, would it? To voice their dissatisfaction with the new registration requirements -- or lack thereof -- put in recently by Linden Lab, a group of residents got together to protest what they say will open SL to limitless griefing and the sullying of young people's virgin ears (and prim private parts). Fortunately, SL machinima-maker Pierce Portocarrero was on the scene and caught some footage of the event, which we present above. Is this the kind of place they should be letting just anyone into? You decide.

Happy Birthday SL: Snapzilla Closes in Protest!

Happy Birthday, Second Life! Although it's not such a happy birthday present that Snapzilla is offering up to Linden Lab today. Everyone's favorite SL photo-sharing site has closed its doors for the day today in protest of Linden Lab's new all-ages policy:

To coincide with the third anniversary of Second Life's launch on June 23rd, this site will be closed for the day in protest of recent changes made by Linden Lab to the registration requirements for Second Life. Specifically, Linden Lab without warning has removed any billing information requirements from the account creation process, which allows complete unrestricted access to Second Life by minor children and destructive users with no accountability and no ability to ban problem users. It exposes the residents of Second Life to unnecessary stress and even potential legal liability and is contrary to the advertised promise of an adults only service that users have subscribed to.

New Crimes, New Punishments

The New Scientist is running an article in its May 20th edition all about crime and punishment in the virtual world -- one of the Herald's favorite subjects. In fact, most of the piece could have been ripped from the Herald headlines -- and probably was. Of course, it features yet another interview with mafia don and media hound Marsellus Wallace, but don't let that stop you. Mars even outs his gf in this one!

Relevant portions excerpted below for your discussion:

Town Hall: Philip Getting Friendly With the Feds

by Dow Jonas

At a packed town hall meeting with live Skype call-in as well as typed text in-world, SL chief executive Philip Linden, in reply to a query from Second Life club owner Trader1 Whiplash, responded to residents' concerns about repeated grid-grashing by unnamed griefers by commending them to federal authorities:

"If you are a club owner in SL, that's exactly like being a Web site owner on the Web," Philip said. "Interrupting somebody's commerce on the Web is a serious crime. In cases where we are able to establish a reasonable equivalance between that kind of disruption, we have, and we will be, and we will get better at, turning those people in, in general to the FBI here in the US. We are serious about doing this and we have done it."