DONOHUE - Second Life, as we all know, is plagued by content theft. Today a ring of skin thieves has grabbed the attention of the design community; these individuals of dubious morality have been selling skins from several creators, including Minnu Palen of Minnu Model Skins, Starley Therian of Celestial Studios, Emilila Redgrave of Redgrave and Mallory Cowen of RAC. 

In response to the content theft, Redgrave announced she would be leaving Second Life. Other designers, including Palen, have announced they will not be releasing new items until these thieves receive punishment and/or Linden Labs enforces stricter guidelines on content theft.

A protest was staged in two shop locations of the purported thieves. Many designers and supporters joined  in wearing protest signs and skins bearing messages against content theft. The design community is hoping to raise awareness of the seriousness of copyright theft in the hopes of stopping both thieves and would-be thieves in their tracks.

The protesters were ejected and banned by the shop owners once they were noticed.

At the location of the original protest, the shop owner's partner was seen wearing a sign of her own that stated all merchandise would be released free and full permission, an act believed to be in response to the protest. The insensibility and immaturity notwithstanding, this move was described by protestors as an insult to the  skin creators who used their talent and skill to create these skins.

Designing a skin is a meticulous task that requires hours of fine-tuning and shading in order to get the final product. When a texture is stolen and resold, it automatically devalues the designer’s hard work and efforts. Content thieves often seem unaware of the gravity of their money making venture, which is copyright theft and punishable under federal law.
 
The designers victimized are filing complaints in accordance with the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) in the hope that Linden Labs will remove the stolen content from the grid.

One of the top selling points of Second Life is the ability to create one's own world: content creators make this possible. They work hard so that other individuals can put together the home or avatar of their choosing. When unscrupulous persons take content from others, they are committing a crime and making the design community take pause and rethink their desire to continue creating.

Many protestors believe it's high time that members of Second Life begin to take social responsibility. Second Life is a reasonably new entity and the ethical and legal boundaries that govern this cyber-society have yet to be established firmly. It is incumbent on us as members of Second Life to establish the legal and ethical boundaries.