Bunneh v. Horsie goes bigtime! Amaretto Ranch Breedables, LLC v. Ozimals, Inc., a copyright infringement lawsuit which pits the creators of two competing Second Life animal breeds, was featured last weekend on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ doesn't add much to what's already been written, except for two interesting bits:
- A proposed settlement would keep Amaretto's virtual horses alive -- as long as the horse food (the company's main revenue source) was made free: Candace Sargent, the founder of Ozimals, says she has "no desire" to sicken people's livestock. Through her lawyers, she says she has told Amaretto that her company would be happy for the Amaretto store to continue operating — so long as it gives away its goods for free rather than selling them.
- Linden Lab, which once used to promote Ozimals in its advertising and marketing for Second Life (though I think no longer), says they're "no longer" involved in the dispute: Michael Page, a lawyer for Linden, says his client is trying to stay out of the fray. "We no longer have a horse in that race or a bunny in that pot," he says.
Read more here. Hat tip: Google's Hunter Walk, who as it happened, gave Second Life the name Second Life back in the day.
Sadly, despite not caring either way about horses or bunnies I am awaiting the outcome patiently.
Posted by: Cold Spitteler | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 01:12 PM
But it's just a pet game like pokemon or digipets isn't it? How can one game sue another for having similar features...that'd be like nintendo suing anyone who makes a platformer with a character who ALSO wears a hat.
Posted by: crashprefect | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 01:24 PM
Meanwhile, both fads die out and get replaced with whatever new breedable pet hits SL, Hee.
Posted by: Adeon Writer | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 01:28 PM
Both companies will probably come out with big losses and go out of business from lawyer fees, good job :)I hope it was worth it.
Posted by: Metacam Oh | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 02:49 PM
@Adeon, you are onto something: Breedable venomous snakes, please, with damage enabled for negligent owners who forget to serve up the frozen virtual mice.
Posted by: Ignatius Onomatopoeia | Monday, August 01, 2011 at 07:05 PM
What is scaring is the way LL still deals with their customers.
Look the Meero's owner account being suspended!
http://dwellonit.taterunino.net/2011/08/01/meeroos-master-account-blocked-by-linden-lab-all-meeroos-stores-offline/
Posted by: foneco zuzu | Tuesday, August 02, 2011 at 03:13 AM