Update, 10:35pm: To add some more background to this, IP brand lawyers have historically gone after users who've uploaded virtual world UGC recreations of their brand/copyrighted material as here and also here.
Since its March 27th Early Access launch on Steam, life simulator/UGC platform inZOI from KRAFTON is already a solid hit, selling an estimated 750,000-1.5 million copies.* The UGC side is also highly active, with thousands of users uploading content to inZOI's user-to-user creator platform Canvas, where players can upload and download content created with the game's studio tools. (Tutorial for doing that yourself after the break.)
As virtual world blogger Alicia Chenaux just noticed, Canvas is already crawling with IP-infringing content:
Yeah, Second Life designers are 100% going to end up with their creations ripped and put into the InZoi Canvas thing. (Canvas is like their TS4 style gallery where you can download custom content.) I already see a lot of Sims 4 items. And a TON of IP stuff. lol Like, I opened up Canvas and immediately saw Miu Miu bags, Burberry clothes, Fendi, Vuitton, etc. So that's a thing.
I just opened up Canvas and can also confirm that, yes, that's a thing. (Sims 4 content in the screengrab above; I searched for some well-known SL brands, but so far, nothing there I can see.)
I'm somewhat surprised popular IP brand names aren't automatically filtered out in the Canvas upload process, but inZOI's fan content guidelines does warn, "As a creator, it’s your sole responsibility to obtain permission from any third party whose IP you plan to use for your Content." I assume that means if a lawyer from Burberry or whoever sends KRAFTON a nastygram, KRAFTON is passing it on to the user who uploaded Burberry content.
I hope the brand owners don't sicc lawyers on inZOI creators, and instead see this as a great grassroots marketing opportunity. Then again, I doubt Electronic Arts is happy to see its Sims brand -- a direct if now-lagging competitor to inZOI -- being co-opted on Canvas. Anyway, I've reached out to Krafton for an official comment on the topic.
That aside, watch the Canvas tutorial below. It's quite an impressive and growing UGC platform already, which will help insure inZOI's popularity.
* Using the Steam ratings to total buyers rule-of-thumb where we assume 1 in 50 to 1 in 100 buyers have rated the game. With over 15,000 ratings of inZOI on Steam at this date, that translates to 750K to 1.5M. (Again, a rough estimate.)
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