Anshe Chung Studios cracks down on griefing photos
By Adam Reuters
SECOND LIFE, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Anshe Chung Studios, Second Life’s biggest property developer, is pressing media outlets to take down photos and video of a griefing attack against its eponymous founder, claiming that reproducing the images violates copyright.
A YouTube video of the attack, which took place during a public interview with CNET’s Daniel Terdiman, has been removed “at the request of copyright owner Anshe Chung Studios Ltd. because its content was used without permission,” according to a posting on the video site.
The popular blog BoingBoing and the website of the Sydney Morning Herald have both received emails from Anshe Chung Studios Chief Executive Guntram Graef (Guni Greenstein in Second Life, and the real-life husband of Ailin Graef aka Anshe Chung).
Graef requested that the sites remove photos of the attack, which took the form of animated objects resembling male genitalia that swarmed around Chung on stage.
In an email to Sydney Morning Herald reporter Stephen Hutcheon, Graef wrote:
“Unfortunately I have to point out to you that you, most likely by accident, posted an image that contains artwork copyrighted by my wife Ailin Graef and by Anshe Chung Studios, Ltd. and without obtaining our permission to do so. … We can not authorize the use of this image and the replication of the artwork and textures of the Anshe Chung avatar in this context.”
Because Linden Lab assigns Second Life users the intellectual property rights for the avatars and other objects they create, Anshe Chung Studio’s claim could call into question the ownership of hundreds of thousands of photos taken within Second Life, currently hosted by real-world photo sites like Flickr and by Second Life businesses such as Snapzilla and BlogHUD.
Linden Lab spokeswoman Catherine Linden was not immediately available for comment due to time zone difference between San Francisco and London, where the Reuters Second Life bureau is based. A Linden liaison told Reuters that photos are generally permitted in public spaces unless they contain trademarks without permission.
Responding to a question unrelated to the griefing attack, Catherine Linden told the Second Life Insider earlier this week:
“Linden Lab does not give permission to anyone to film in Second Life because we don’t own the content. However, I do like to say that filming in Second Life is like filming in NYC. Generic street scenes and landscapes can be considered ‘fair use’ but filming individuals without their permission is not advised, just like in real life.”
Hutcheon and BoingBoing contributor Xeni Jardin said they are consulting with lawyers.
Guntram Graef, who is based in Wuhan, China, was not available for comment.
UPDATE: Catherine Linden added in an email: “”Copyright law is applicable to works created in Second Life. Copyright law includes fair use and it includes provisions regarding infringement. Anyone may assert copyright claims, and anyone may assert fair use claims. Linden Lab generally doesn’t take a position on disputes to which we are not a party. However, it would be correct to point out that the laws of fair use are consistent with the culture of creativity and collaboration that forms a large part of Second Life.”
