Content Theft in SL

Okay, so everyone else has posted their two cents. Guess I will, too. 

First of all, sorry it's been so long since I posted. I realize that of the two readers out there that actually read my blog, one of them is me. However, I'll type and do my thing. 

I've been buried in Photoshop these last months trying to get lots of nice, high-quality items for my Spring line. I thought I had done pretty well when I released my Chantilly Formal line. Sexy satin and flowing flexi. The dress turned out beautifully and I was relieved to be able to leave behind the 60 - 120 Meg, 40 layer files for awhile.

About a week after the release, one of the "major" designers in SL sent me an IM asking me if I had ripped the textures for my Chantilly line from another "prominent" SL designer. (I'm excluding names at this point). After I got over my initial shock I IM'd back and said, No and quite frankly it irritated the shit out of me that they would even ask that. I said that it seemed to me that this type of shit was becoming a witch hunt and that I'm the type of person who believed in innocent until proven guilty.

Anyway, long story short. I contacted the "prominent" designer and asked why they hadn't contacted me personally, and why, if they believed I had ripped their textures they hadn't filed a DMCA complaint. I then proceeded to offer my raw Photoshop files for them to look at. I also gave a very detailed description of my process in Photoshop and the tools that I used. Obviously I won't go into that here. I guess I feel like it's kind of a trade secret kind of thing. Anyway, "prominent" designer said that wasn't necessary and that they weren't filing a DMCA complaint, etc. In the end, I was more pissed than anything and lost a TON of respect for the two designers involved in this fiasco.

That being said, I knew enough about what "prominent" designer was getting at to know which dress she thought I had ripped from. So... I took comparative pictures of mine vs "prominent" designer's. In the end, not only were the textures not even close to the same, mine was actually better. I'm NOT going on an ego trip here, just telling it like it is.

So, what the hell is Lissa going on and on about? Well, I'm getting there. 

Content theft is a big issue. Period. You know it, I know it and it's driving designers out of SL. Good high-end designers. And it pisses me off that this is happening. It pisses me off that Linden Labs chooses to ignore this problem and continue to develop shit we don't need like "Dazzle". Get a damn clue LL, we don't need a new fucking GUI!

As a content developer in SL, I am very concerned about the current trends in content theft. I also know based on technology trends that the thieves will get better and harder to beat. However, it's also not appropriate as a designer to go on a witch hunt when something "looks" similar to yours. Don't be so fucking pretentious as to think that someone can't do something as good as you can or better than you can. There is always someone better and faster than you. Hell, I know it. But I don't get all bent out of shape about it. If you're a content designer and you think someone has ripped your texture, by all means, contact them directly. Don't go through a fellow designer. Not only is that an outright cop-out on your part, it puts the other designer into a situation that isn't fair to them. 

The next thing you do is collect as much evidence as you can. Go buy the item that they're selling and do comparisons. Photograph it from every angle, etc. Have friends look at it. You may very well be too close to the situation to make a fair decision. Once you have the evidence, contact the person you think has copied you and try again to talk to them about it. File a DMCA complaint with LL (even though this may prove fruitless). You may very well have to end up bringing attorneys into this. 

But before the theft happens there are some things you can do to protect yourself. One idea is to watermark your textures in a small area that only you know about. This is possible if you know what you're doing. 

Second, as much as it sucks to people who want to "gift" their purchases, make your items no transfer. Sell them on SLexchange and OnRez so that they can be gifted. But don't do it in world. And make sure that the copies you put in your OnRez and SLex boxes are no transfer as well.

For those who are just starting out, this may not be possible. However, it's just a fact of Second Life, if you're a small design store you probably don't have to worry about content theft. Hell, I know I don't. I'm just small potatoes. But... for you bigger designers. You may have to limit yourself to a main store and nothing more. This assures your customers that this is the ONLY place they can purchase your items and if they see your stuff somewhere else then it may very well be a copy. Advise your customers. Let them know that content theft is a huge problem in Second Life and if they truly want to buy your stuff then it will only be at your store. Period.

I want to close this out with one last thing. My good friend, Chez Nabob, has rolled out a new ad campaign to help get the word out about content theft. I think this is great and I'm behind him 100% on it. Following is a link and SLURL for those who are interested in this campaign.

SLURL

Chez's OnRez Store Look for the IP Rights Campaign Kit Version 2.0.

Electricity...

To quote one of my favorite 80's groups, "You don't know what you got, 'til it's gone."

I'll never take electricity for granted again. The last 7 days have been compelling. Sometimes good, sometimes bad and sometimes downright awful. Today, though, I want to concentrate on being thankful. Our power came back on about 7pm Central last night.

I'm thankful to God that he created electricity and the men and women who were smart enough to harness it. Thank you to the Greeks (Thales of Miletus) for discovering static electricity, thank you to Benjamin Franklin, thank you Charles-Augustin Coulomb, thank you Alessandro Volta, thank you Michael Faraday, thank you Joseph Swan, thank you James Watt, Andre Ampere and George Ohm, thank you Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison. Those are the big guys in the world of electricity.

Now for the people who are no less important - thank you sincerely to the men and women who worked day and night to get electricity back to our town and then our neighborhood.

Finally, as the last part of this post, I'm thankful to my family. I'm thankful for the help of my children when we had to bring wood in for our wood stove. Thank you for not complaining too much. I know it was tough this last week, but we did make some memories. We learned that we can occupy our time with things other than Xboxes, Nintendos and Computers. We learned that playing cards can be fun and learning new games can be fun as well! We learned that hot dogs roasted over the fire of a wood stove taste waaaaay better than boiled hot dogs and that Pop Tarts are much better when warmed on top of the wood stove than when they are toasted in an electric toaster. We learned that S'mores are one of the yummiest foods you can make using a wood stove. We also learned how important it is to have deep and meaningful friendships and that sometimes, no matter how independent we want to be, that it's okay to rely on those friends.

I'm thankful to my partner for helping me to get through. You, my love, are the strong one. Thank you for your love and your strength.

Les Belles Isle

Okay, I took the link out. I have no idea what the hell they are/were up to. Their web site is gone (as far as I can tell) and I haven't heard from them in forever. So I was wrong. I thought they had a great idea. I'm all for collaboration, but for some reason, I have a feeling they've played a lot of people or they just couldn't get the support from other designers they thought they could get. I have no idea.

So, I quickly take my LM to what used to be Les Belles Isle and it's now some French club. If you've seen my other post, I'm not too proud to admit it, I was wrong. To all of you who were right about them, kudos.

Lissa

Winter "Wonder" Land

I know, strange post title. But I'm "wondering" when I'm going to get electricity back. It's Friday, December 14 and we lost power on Monday December 10th at about 9pm. It's been an interesting week to say the least.

There are things you learn about yourself during times like these. Understand, I'm not going to get incredibly introspective and wax nostalgic on Laura Ingalls Wilder or pretend that we're in a similar situation. But priorities change when you have a situation like this.

For the first time since I began designing clothing for Second Life, I've been able to take a step back. I've been able to stay away from the computer (true, I have had connectivity at work and today I am at the University connected via the wireless network at our Student Union) which has been kind of nice. It's nice to be able to log on for a short period of time, check my messages then log off. We have been spending most of the week in the basement in front of the wood stove. Romantic? Sort of... oh, maybe not really. Maintaining the fire has been the big key. I've learned a lot about wood stoves this week. Woot!

One of the biggest challenges has been keeping ourselves sane and the kids occupied. Those of you who know me on a more personal level know that between my partner and myself we have five children. We sat in the dark (semi-dark with an LED flashlight - those are kinda' cool!) playing games last night. We try to get them to read more and have also tried to make sure that they are learning to occupy themselves!

I will post more at another time as I have connectivity. Hugs and love to all of you who might read this.

-Lissa

Cattiva e Cattivo New Release - The Academic

Well, the contest piece is available now. I call it "The Academic". It's the ultimate mix and match blazer based outfit for men. Four blazers matched with dress jeans in black and blue with prim cuffs, several sexy shirts (both buttoned and unbuttoned) and prim oxfords in Tawny Suede and Obsidian Leather (Hi-Gloss Shine) make up this contemporary outfit for the guys.

Purchase it at our main store (Annapurna 121,147,295) or at OnRez.com.

WindLight Part Deaux!

OMG! What a difference! 

I downloaded the latest Windlight viewer and my fps is easily 20fps or better. I can honestly say that I'm going to be using the Windlight Viewer from now on. It's not only gorgeous, but now it "feels" fast. More to post later!

Love, Lissa


posted by Lissa Maertens on Annapurna using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Dec. 7, 1941

I wasn't alive on this date and probably anyone who reads this blog wasn't, either. My grandpa, however, was. He was 16 at the time and like many young American boys/men his age he found a way to fudge his birth certificate and enlisted in the Army. I realize that most of you know why he would have enlisted, but for those of you who don't, this was the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and in doing so, pulled the United States into World War II.

I believe my grandpa was a brave man. But to hear him speak about some of these things when he was alive, he would have told you just the opposite. He rarely talked about the war. Some memories are probably just to painful to recount. When he did, though, he always told me, "Lissa, don't ever join the military. You'll end up dead because of someone else's argument." I guess by argument he meant war. I never really asked him to clarify, but I'm pretty sure that's what it was. I hope so, because right now, I feel a true sense of disillusionment toward our government and the people running it. And even worse, I feel such sadness for those who are fighting in a war or trying to put together the broken pieces from a war that in retrospect may not have been necessary.

Please don't misunderstand, Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are/were awful people and in Bin Laden's case he is someone who takes credit for all of the lives lost in the World Trade Center destruction. He is the enemy. Further, I support our men and women in uniform and thank them from the bottom of my heart for having the deep courage to defend our country and our rights against those who would try to take them from us. I will continue to pray for them that they may all return safely to their families, friends and home.

But to you people who call yourselves servants of the people. You are servants in word only. Your deeds show otherwise. Your continued pay-raises to yourselves, your lax morals, your toe-tapping in bathroom stalls, your disregard for the environment and your continued flip-flopping on moral issues based on polls show that you are nothing more than greedy, self-serving, war-mongers who are hungry for more oil and more money. I'm saddened and sickened by you "officials" who pretend to know what is best for us, but in reality are only doing what is best for yourselves.

When is enough, enough?

Today, I will remember my grandpa and those he served with side by side in the dirt and mud. Those who died on foreign soil and gave their blood, their limbs and their lives to defend people like me who they would never know. I will remember those who have lost their lives in my lifetime fighting in a war that is unnecessary and based on greed. And finally, I will remember that even though my grandpa would not have agreed with what this government has done, he would still fight for this great country and for the rights of the people who live in this land. That's the type of man he was. He was a member of the greatest generation. We have so much to live up to.

I love you grandpa. I wish you were still here. Thank you to you and all who have served before, with and after you.

Love,
Lissa

WindLight Frustration

Okay, so I'm trying Windlight for the second time after I decided I didn't like it because my fps (frames per second) were way too slow. Like, maddeningly, painfully, running into things because I overshoot when I'm turning, slow. But I'm trying it again, regardless. Stupid me.

Yes, the atmospheric effects in WL are gorgeous. (See photo) but I truly am a "complete experience" kinda' girl. Even typing this out is incredibly frustrating. The load the WL is placing on my graphics card makes me feel like I'm back at my old 75 MHz Mac Performa with a 603e Power PC Processor trying to type in Microsoft Word while having Photoshop open at the same time.

But Lissa, the pictures you get in WL are incredible. So What? If I can't enjoy my time in SL, (productive or otherwise) then why on earth would I want to be there. This is worse than a laggy event. Maybe I'm missing something. Someone help me out here. What settings should I use in my preferences?

In my regular SL viewer I get between 10 and 20 fps depending on what I'm doing. I can fly around and enjoy myself, etc. Here are my specs. MacBook Pro, 2.33 GHz Intel Core Duo, 3GB RAM, Radeon X1600 Video card.

Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong? I want to enjoy the eye candy and still have a decent frame rate! (which btw, is hovering at 4 fps! (And I'm standing still!).

Love,
Lissa

Merry Christmas to all my Wicked Friends!

Christmas has come a bit early to Cattiva e Cattivo. Pop into the main store Annapurna 107,150,296 and take a look under the tree. Santa Clause has stopped in for all you wicked people. And by wicked, I mean good. :)

Merry Christmas to all!

Love, Lissa
posted by Lissa Maertens on Annapurna using a blogHUD : [permalink]

My Heart Goes Out to Omaha

*Sigh* I'm sitting here typing this knowing that there's nothing I can say that will change this tragedy or at this moment the hurt, anguish and anger that my friends in this awesome town are feeling. Please know that as someone who lived in your wonderful town, worked on 98th St, shopped at the Westroads, and just loved Omaha... I hurt for you all. I'm sorry that this has happened.

My heart goes out to all who have been affected by the tragedy at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska. I'm saddened for the families of the victims and I'm saddened for the families of the man who committed this atrocity. Right now while emotions are raw and the hurt runs so deeply I can only imagine that it seems Omaha will never be the same. But please continue to trust in God and the overall goodness of people. Omaha will not be the same, it will be better. I know how strong the people of Omaha are.

Much Love,
Lissa

Testing blog hud, hopefully this will post to my blog!

posted by Lissa Maertens on Nooribeom using a blogHUD : [permalink]

I nearly quit today

Today was just one of those days. Not one major thing was the issue, just a lot of little things that have been building up over time. I nearly quit Second Life. A lot of this has to do with wondering what on earth it's worth? Do I bring joy to anyone? Do people enjoy my stuff? I still don't have the answers to all of my questions, but I promise I'll keep searching.

Please remember and respect that for me, my one requirement of Second Life is that I have fun. I hope it stays fun for me.

Tagged by the wonderful Una Ewing

Okay, I have to admit, I wanted to be tagged. The surprise in being tagged was that it was Una who tagged me! She is one of the friendliest people I've met in SL, but she's so busy I truly never thought she would have tagged me! That being said, following is the standard rules and those who I am tagging.

The rules are:
1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged and to read your blog.

Lissa Maerten's random facts/habits:

I live in the midwest

I'm a knee shaker/foot tapper

I'm a coffee-holic (the darker the roast, the better!)

I love good beer (have even considered brewing my own!)

I have a short attention span (I'm sorry, what'd you say? I was daydreaming... *L*)

I don't think money is the root of all evil, I think greed and mean people are the root of all evil

I am a brunette in RL

I never dreamed that I would have anything to do with fashion until I found Second Life. :)

Okay, now that's done. (It was a bit harder than I thought it would be)
My friends who are tagged:
1. Ben Vanguard
2. Chez Nabob
3. Daman Tenk
4. CronoCloud Creegan
5. Blaze Columbia
6. LB Fellini
7. Monica Renneville
8. Lavinia Leigh

(That was much easier than the eight habits! *L*)
If I'm lucky enough to be tagged again, I'll post the taggers names here: (if not, it's going to look sad and pathetic!)

Daman Tenk (I didn't see anywhere in the rules where it says you can't tag back)

Pricing, among other things...

Okay, so maybe someone can clear this up. Second Life promotes a free market type of environment for people who make and sell products and services. I think this is great for obvious reasons. "So, Lissa, what's bugging you then?" you may ask. To which, I reply, "Pricing, dear friends, pricing in SL."

So, here are some of my thoughts on pricing things in SL:

1. What constitutes fair pricing for a product? The way I look at it as a designer is this. When I started out, my pricing was pretty damn arbitrary. I thought $30L for a t-shirt was a fair price. Now, looking back at some of the shirts that I did, I think, hmmm... maybe $10L? So... I adjusted prices on my old T-Shirts. Perhaps the next round will be more detailed or shaded, etc. And I'll charge $30L again. Anyway, I've adjusted my pricing now based on what I think something is worth and what I think it will sell for. Secondarily, I keep metrics in mind as to what the average person behind an avatar spends in world for a product. Right now, the metrics are $100L or under for a purchase. Is this fair? I don't know. I guess what the market will bear is what the pricing will be.

2. Are there things that are overpriced in SL? Well, duh. Yeah, maybe EVERYTHING is overpriced. There are overpriced items in RL, too. Again, it's what the market will bear. But to me, there's a question of not necessarily what the market will bear... but is the pricing fair? This goes back to my first question. I guess what I'm getting at is that there are some designers out there, talented as they may be, that in my opinion (and yes, it's my opinion and my blog) are way overpriced. I don't begrudge anyone selling their work for a premium... I don't know, just something I wonder about. I'm sure there are some out there who think my designs are overpriced as well.

3. Conversely, are there things that are under-priced in SL? Again, yes. And I think maybe some of the stuff that I sell might be that way. I also think that the market will eventually even these things out.

So, what am I getting at? I guess I'm interested in people's opinions on this one. I'm sure some designers will vehemently defend their pricing and some will maybe look at things and say... "Hmmm... maybe this is something I need to think about."

Perhaps it's my point of view. I do SL as a hobby, something I do for fun. Some people are in SL to make a living. I look at what I do as pixels and perhaps that's where I'm missing it. I see it as art, but I feel like I have to keep a level head about it because like most art RL or otherwise... there are some who don't understand it.

Okay, enough... I think I've gotten offtrack with this post.

Let me have it... whether you agree with me or not... I wanna' hear about it! I want your opinions in-world or here.

Love,
Lissa

Finally, Cattiva e Cattivo is at OnRez and SLExchange!

Okay, wicked ones, I've finally begun the process of putting my styles up on Cattiva e Cattivo @ OnRez and Cattiva e Cattivo @ SLExchange.

So, if you can't get in-world (say, maybe you're at work *giggle*) and you just can't wait to get that awesome Cattiva formal gown you saw at the main store. Now you can! So... go to OnRez or SLExchange and have fun!

Stay Wicked!

Love,
Lissa

SL and Food

Okay, so maybe something is escaping me about SL. I see the need for fun, I see the need for clothing, I see the need for get-togethers and being social and enjoying friendship. I can even see why people would want to have sex in Sl. Sl is one of those great places where you can do things you wouldn't do in RL. You can fly, you can wear outrageous styles, you can become famous, you can be a woman if you're a man or a man if you're a woman. You can be an animal, vampire, whatever. I can even see the fun in having those cute scripted drinks (beer, champagne or otherwise that make you fall over are some of the funniest things I've seen in SL).

But the one thing I don't understand is food in SL. One thing we don't need is food. I mean, seriously, our avatars do not require nourishment. It's not like neo-pets where you have to "feed" them to keep them alive. (Does anyone even remember neo-pets?) Food in SL is absolutely a waste of prims. So, when I go to a party in SL, why is there a tray of food? Imitating life is one thing, but honestly, this is just ridiculous. Seriously, we don't need food in SL, how much simpler can it be.

Anyway, what does this have to do with fashion? Nothing. I just don't understand it and thought I'd blog it.

-Lissa

Cattiva e Cattivo Nominated for 2 SL fashion awards!

Tanya Book recently contacted me in world to let me know that Cattiva e Cattivo has been nominated for a couple of SL fashion awards. And, honestly, I'm completely happy about both nominations... here's why:

1. The first nomination is for Best Texturing.

I'm absolutely honored that I would be nominated for this award. I spend a lot of time in photoshop trying to make sure the textures look good on the clothing I offer to you guys. It's important to me. So this nomination makes me very happy!

2. The second nomination is for Sloppiest attention to detail (i.e. seams not lining up, unexplained blobs, etc)

I'm absolutely honored by this nomination as well... for one reason. It humbles me and in return this means I'll work a heck of a lot harder on upcoming clothing to make sure that this never happens again.

All in all though, I'm really pleased about both nominations. It means people are looking and people care. As a designer, I've always stood behind the philosophy that it's better to be loved or hated than to be mediocre. Cattiva e Cattivo hits on both ends of the spectrum!

For all of the nominations go here:
SL Fashion Blogger Choice Nominations

Love,
Lissa

New Main Store Location

Hi all! Cattiva e Cattivo has relocated the main store to the following SLURL:
Cattiva e Cattivo

Follow the teleport. For some reason, I can't get the SLURL to place you 501m in the air!

Hope to see you there!

Fashion Show Blues

So, a new sim had its grand opening today, Virtual Brugge (Belgique, 185,164,24). Now, this sim is excellent and I love having a shop there. But the fashion show, okay, not the whole show, was kind of a bummer. One of the models, modeling the Cattiva Foldover suit in Antique, left flexi prims from her previous outfit on her legs. The bad part of this was that the prims were black and didn't match. The good part, is that I've decided that the Foldover needs to come with leg prims to give it some nice dimensional flared bottoms.

The second thing that went wrong, is that one of my items, the Buttefly Kisses evening gown, didn't end up getting shown until after the show was over and all the models were standing on stage. (Thank you to Katrina Pugilist for taking matters in hand, putting on the dress and walking up on stage!) The thing that upset me the most about BK not being shown was that out of the five outfits, it was the centerpiece and it was disappointing that it wasn't shown to an appreciative audience.

Regardless... Virtual Brugge is an awesome sim, very well textured and very close to how the actual city looks. Stop in and stop at Cattiva e Cattivo and take a look around at all of the wonderful scenery!

Lissa

Energy Art at SEERS on Embracing the Universe Island

My good friend Monica Renneville (RL Psychic Linda Lauren) asked me one day if I would be interested in a collaboration of sorts. She does artwork that she calls Energy Art™. She sent me some samples and after some experiments with T-Shirts I went full blown into creating some unique styles that featured the artwork.

One of the challenges that was presented is that the artwork is non-representational (many people call this abstract, although that term wouldn't be technically accurate). Anyway, I digress... this was a challenge for me as a designer because I wanted to feature as much of the artwork as possible on the clothing, but not necessarily create ALL of the "fabric" from the Energy Art.
After some failed experiments, I finally was able to hit upon some solutions that I felt were not only good looking, but also had the "Lissa look and feel" to them.

To see these styles, search for SEERS Metaphysical Store, Etu Abbracciare (52, 113, 51) or follow the SLURL provided. If I can, I'll post some pictures, but for some reason on Blogger, I haven't been able to figure out how to add the pictures... okay, yes, I feel stupid... don't make fun of me. But if you leave me a comment and tell me the secret of posting pictures here on blogger using your SL name. I'll drop some wicked styles on your profile as a gift!

SLURL to SEERS Metaphysical Store, Etu Abbracciare (52, 113, 51)

Lissa