http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-11/ff_manga

The problem here is that 99.99% of all content-creating companies in the entertainment industry think like that. 0.01% might actually allow fan art, or even be supportive of it, and these few examples have been used to promote the concept that a company that makes their fans happy will not lose money — in fact, they might have far more loyal fans, or, at least, far more happy fans in any case. These few examples are often promoted and well-researched and used as case studies on how to be supportive of the fan community, and give fans of other environments the false notion that “fan art” is universally accepted and somehow “protected”, when it’s nothing even close to that. Just because there are a handful of good examples in the industry, it doesn’t mean that the overwhelming majority of companies are even willing to listen to the “crazy idea” that fan art is good for business…

WoD has a potential issue looming in which should they decide to throw lawyers because they think nobody will resist and wind up giving people a bad impression then they will have a problem. In addition they never once went after all the board/card game developers out there making one-offs and selling them for profit for years so the precedent is already set that they do not defend IP and have openly encouraged it for years as can be witnessed at the many DnD type cons around the world for years and years. What WoD needs to do is concentrate on delivering a compelling product. And I have my doubts they will succeed given the years lead others already have in 3D environments that have openly run for years.

There is a movie called Gor. I guess they could try to shut down the Gorean universe as well because they made one of the worst movies of all time that is such a failure it ranks in the comedic travesty collector niche.

Lucas Arts, CBS, etc pretty much now have this “policy”. BUT LL and some folks using SL took advantage of this…and extended it to other companies IP… So in the end, this is all expected,

As to the “free” issue bing now worse, well this is only now becoming an issue with these IP owners in the last few years, as tools and “online” entertainment is becoming of interest to them. And both basement dwellers and VC funded compaines like Bigpoint, can create and distribute Unity3d based games on the IPS… infact.. Bigpoints MAIN SCIFI Game that got them noticed and profit drriven for years…(then they raised VC money) had used scifi 3d spaceship models that they themselves “copybotted” per say from the internet. Im sure the original designers/model makers of those designs/datasets never got paid by Bigpoint.

The scams and theivery on the web 2.0 is rampant. Ask yourself how much Stardolls “paid” brad and anglina to use their likenesses for online toys for years.. today VC funded, Star dolls makes “legal” deals… but they were bootleggers and thieves just a few years ago. the method is to grow rich fast, pay off settlements later… ethics dont exist and the world is in the cylon crap trap because of it.

as for LL’s methods… well the” best” that can be said is that they pay for “original?” IP like Insilicos sims, and therefore compete against any legal IP owners inside their own walled money making system.

the first commandment should be though dont steal…or as later updated to “do unto others asn you would have them do unto you….”

well so much for that idea when you convince yourselve your a avatar or meta.– an epic fail of an idea imo.

The first commandment of intellectual property seems to be: Thou shalt not display or distribute that which draws interest away from officially licensed properties and merchandise.