New Second Life Terms of Service Agreement Includes Stricter DMCA/IP Enforcement Policies (Among Other Things)

Next time you log into Second Life (at least through the official viewer), you're going to get hit with an imposing new Terms of Service agreement. One of the key changes I highlighted a couple weeks ago: Stricter IP rights/DMCA enforcement requirements, where a user who feels their copyrights are being infringement must actually snail mail or fax the DMCA notice rather than send via e-mail, and Linden Lab mentions that they can sue users who file frivolous claims.

I'm sure there's other changes SLers are being asked to accept -- discuss in Comments if you notice anything drastic!

Hat tip: Franklin Lubitsch.

Comments

[Carlos Loff]

Im afraid is getting too late for SL - Money talks and other providers bring MUCH MORE for much less - The only reason SL is still there, are expensive inventory investments and friends communities

[Just Sayn]

Carlos Loff

You might be right, I wish I could get a homestead for $30 Month then I would log in more.

[Patchouli Woollahra]

Carlos: I'm pained to have to agree with you. inertia is one hell of a force, the problem is that they stopped adding to it and it's being worn down. without some serious action, waking up to Second Life shuttering is only a matter of time.

BTW: this may not ping your radar unless you're a SL Blog-reading veteran, but going forward all forms of payment to LL for the purpose of any of its products and services (including the middleman services provided by LindeX and the SL Marketplace) that originate outside of America will be handled by a subsidiary named Tilia UK apparently. This particular subsidiary will be more familiar to people with an eye for corporate movements (in particular those who have read Inara Pey for a long time may recall this note on Tilia's initial formation as a world-agnostic P/B-to-P/B electronic payment platform system. For the moment being, LL will still handle US-based payment instruments on its own. The change of processor will be noted on the cashier page during transactions by Residents with non-US origins and/or payment methods on file.

It remains to be seen exactly how this will impact SL going forward, but I suspect a recent 'degradation' (others may view it differently, this is just my opinion coloring it) of LL's ability to handle user payments or payouts in formats other than Paypal/Skrill may be temporarily tied to this development. Hopefully, Tilia can make the necessary connections going forward to allow more secure payment methods than simply Paypal/Skrill with a authenticator token or phone SMS (both of which are not exactly great security, if still better than nothing in a way)

And as always, Section 2.3 still makes me just a twee bit uncomfortable, even as I've grown resigned to ignoring the unthinkable alternative of resigning and giving up this kind of Life.