In the past, thieves could use illegal viewers to take copies of prims and sculpts in Second Life and resell them. But outside of SL, these things did not exist.
For mesh, however, there are countless sites selling professionally made 3D models for use in games, movies, architectural scenes, advertising, etc. Many of these sites are hosting stolen models they illegally allow to be downloaded.
So some "creators" in Second Life, instead of going to the trouble of making their own mesh, simply fill their shopping baskets up with ready-made professional quality models they either bought or found for free. But free does not mean "free to resell". Although in SL we have full perm creators who sell to others with the understanding that the buyers will make something of the models and resell them, this is NOT the case with models on sites external sites -- they are not selling "templates" for resell, as many in SL do. A few model licenses do allow for reselling, but these are very few. These models are to be used in games, for example, but not to be resold individually as they are in Second Life.
Turbosquid, one of the best known 3D model sites, specifically mentions Second Life:
Some thieves think they are safe because they modify the illegally downloaded models, or create something from parts from different models. But Turbosquid makes it clear that not only is this illegal, but even using a model as a "template" is:
The more eyes on the problem, the better. If you come across evidence of stolen models, send it to us at SecretsOfSecondLife@gmail.com.
For mesh, however, there are countless sites selling professionally made 3D models for use in games, movies, architectural scenes, advertising, etc. Many of these sites are hosting stolen models they illegally allow to be downloaded.
So some "creators" in Second Life, instead of going to the trouble of making their own mesh, simply fill their shopping baskets up with ready-made professional quality models they either bought or found for free. But free does not mean "free to resell". Although in SL we have full perm creators who sell to others with the understanding that the buyers will make something of the models and resell them, this is NOT the case with models on sites external sites -- they are not selling "templates" for resell, as many in SL do. A few model licenses do allow for reselling, but these are very few. These models are to be used in games, for example, but not to be resold individually as they are in Second Life.
Turbosquid, one of the best known 3D model sites, specifically mentions Second Life:
I want to buy a product from TurboSquid and use it in a virtual world community, like Second Life. Is that allowed?TurboSquid 3D models, conversions, and any altered or unaltered part of a TurboSquid 3D model, may NOT be imported, uploaded, reproduced, made available, transmitted, distributed, or sublicensed in Second Life or other virtual world communities. We prohibit any inclusion of TurboSquid material in any software that imports open 3D file formats (e.g., Second Life, 3D modeling software, etc.), and while we respect the Second Life and similar communities, our artist community does not believe the IP protections for their work are sufficient for these uses.
Some thieves think they are safe because they modify the illegally downloaded models, or create something from parts from different models. But Turbosquid makes it clear that not only is this illegal, but even using a model as a "template" is:
If I buy a model to use as a template (a reference to guide the placement of my polygons and curves) for another model I am going to build from scratch, how can I use the new model? Can I sell the new model I make on TurboSquid?Using models purchased or downloaded from TurboSquid as templates is very common. You are welcome to do this and can use the new model that you made or derived from a model on TurboSquid in any way that you would use a purchased model. You will not, however, be able to resell the new model. By using the first model as a template for the creation of a new model, the new model automatically is a derivative of the purchased model. Derivatives of models may not be sold on TurboSquid or used in any manner inconsistent with the TurboSquid End User License Agreement.
The more eyes on the problem, the better. If you come across evidence of stolen models, send it to us at SecretsOfSecondLife@gmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment