[Opensim-users] Announcement of inventory tool (MyInventory), mostly of interest to grid operators/grid nauts

[Snowcrash Short]

On Thu, Nov 15, 2012 at 6:34 PM, Melanie <melanie at t-data.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> On 15/11/2012 18:18, Snowcrash Short wrote:
> > The scenario you describe here is exactly one of the primary use-cases I
> > had in mind when creating this tool, the third input method is intended
> to
> > make publishing content easier. Basically the third, and yet
> unimplemented
> > feature, is intended to allow users to subscribe, either via a paid
> > subscription service or free access, to one or more inventory content
> > providers, the content will then be replicated to the users MyInventory
> > instance, and from there it can be uploaded to the users individual
> > accounts.
>
> That is a great idea, too, and will ease access to free and open
> licensed content. However, such a service would be responsible for
> not distributing content that has no valid license for.
>
> > I am definitely willing to listen to ideas on how to make this tool safer
> > for grid operators, although the safe harboring provisions and DMCA
> > policies should be enough for most instances. I don't think anyone can
> say
> > anything for certain, since there is very little case law on the matter,
> > but IMO a reasonable assumption would be that a grid can be seen as a
> > service provider, thus making illegal content the responsibility of the
> > user uploading the content, as long as DMCA provisions are in place.
>
> DMCA applies in the US only. Other countries depend on existing
> copyright law. This differs from country to country. Some place all
> responsibility with the distributor or service provider, others with
> users. Almost all require formal suit to be brought, which is not
> feasible for a $0.10 item. However, nor suing can lead to a virtual
> business being destroyed by 10s of thousands of such thefts because
> the proliferation of the free copies makes the original, licensed
> item unsaleable. Therefore, technological protection to prevent
> "casual" copying need to be in place and the software needs to guide
> the user to not export things that they have no permission to export.
> The only way to make this in any way safe is to keep it closed source.
>
Closed source is just another word for security through obscurity, which we
- hopefully - all know really doesn't provide any security. During my
research I have found a few rip tools. some are quite advanced, e.g. one
tool allowed the user to rip any animation being played by any avatar in
the vicinity, a list view would display the nearby users, and for each user
it would list which anims were being played, and allow the user to either
play the animation at will. The only regret the creator had was that it
would cost L$10 to upload the asset to the Linden grid.

Atleast it will be very simple for the administrator to determine if assets
are being duplicated, especially if MyInventory is being used in a mode
where it accesses the asset service directly.


> - Melanie
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