[Opensim-users] Copyright in the Fashion Industry

[LaeMing]

Thanks greatly for that link, Karen. It was a very interesting watch!

Nice contrast to the IP hysterics I sometimes observe in the 'wild' (stroppy 
bugger this one! says I poking it with a stick.) from people who seem to think 
that every allusion to any idea to ever waft erratically through the back of 
their minds is theirs and theirs alone by right of their having been the first 
being in existence to ever fire two neurons at more-or-less the same time. :-P

The attitude of the fashion industry is more-or-less the one I have with my 
clothing in SL. I won't rip someone else's work directly via texture grabbing. 
But I may recreate a very like piece from scratch if I like it but cannot use 
the one provided for some reason (usually because I don't like some particular 
detail -- so the remake is inherently not an exact copy anyway). Obviously, I 
avoid copying trademarks or other independently copyrighted graphics.

Also it is why I am releasing a lot of my own clothing creations under very 
permissive licensing (public domain for the first round). I just don't feel IP 
should apply to such basic stuff.

Hugely complex prim-ballgowns and the like are an entirely different matter, 
but I don't have the patience to make (or the inclination to want to wear) 
such things, so I haven't had to think too hard about that, but I would be 
inclined to view them as art rather than utilitarian. Not so much the basic 
ballgown shape/style but it is the frills and extra bits that make it art and 
likely shouldn't be copied too closely.

Regards,
Lae

PS: My mum tells a story of how as teenagers, she and a group of friends would 
catch a train into the city for a day and sit outside the big stores sketching 
the season displays until the shopkeeper came out and chased them off with a 
broom, then they would go back home and sew their own.


On Tuesday June 1 2010 01:07:21 Karen Palen wrote:

snip

> I would remind everyone that the purpose of IP laws is NOT to ensure that
> large "content Creators" get rich, but to encourage and reward innovation.
> 
> http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/05/25/2222207/The-Fashion-Industry-As-a-M
> odel-For-IP-Reform
> 
> No one can argue that the RL fashion industry is not creative and hugely
> profitable if you get the formula right!
> 

snip