SL posts strong economic growth on dwindling enrollments
Fewer new users are signing up for Second Life, but the faithful are spending more time and money than ever inside Linden Lab’s virtual world.
Frustrated virtual agencies look beyond Second Life
The fledgling virtual agencies and service companies who made it big during the boom years of Second Life are looking toward greener pastures, weary of unmet promises from Linden Lab and drawn by competing virtual worlds.
At VW08, kids are the focus
At one of the largest gatherings of the virtual worlds industry, the energy of platform developers, consultants, and marketers was focused on how to target the under-18 crowd.
The last big feature: “HTML on a prim”
Speaking last summer at the Second Life Community Convention, Philip Rosedale pledged that stability would be Linden Lab’s top priority for the coming year, plus two major new features: the introduction of voice, now live in the virtual world, and the ability to access web pages inside Second Life.
Virtual retailers decry Second Life crime wave
About US$1.4 million dollars circulates through Second Life every day, but there’s no police to investigate crime or laws for them enforce. While theft of Second Life content isn’t new, the sense that Linden Lab’s virtual world is a consequence-free environment for criminal enterprise has led pirates to become increasingly brazen in their activities.
OpenSim worlds lure Second Life’s outcasts
For Second Life’s banks, OpenSim grids provide a way to continue on in the field of virtual finance without the need to secure Linden’s approval.
Showtime mulls expansion of SL presence
As real world companies abandon Second Life amidst a rash of ghost towns and bad press about the potential of virtual worlds to reach customers, Showtime’s initiative stands out as one of the few companies that have made it work.
UPDATE 3 - Linden bans Second Life banks
Linden Lab said on Tuesday it is banning Second Life banking that promises interest or other investment returns, citing resident complaints and risks to the virtual world’s economy.
UPDATE: Electric Sheep lays off 22
The Electric Sheep Company, one of the premier consulting and development firms within Second Life, has laid off 22 people, equal to about one third of its total staff.
AOL leaves Second Life
America Online said on Tuesday it is shuttering its AOL Pointe island in Second Life to focus on virtual worlds that use AIM instant-messaging software for communication between avatars.
High risks, high rewards in virtual finance
Virtual banks offer interest rates that would stagger a real-world investor, but very little is certain in the risky world of Second Life finance.
Settlement reached in Kenzo copyright case
Thomas Simon (Second Life: Rase Kenzo) has reached a settlement with the six Second Life content creators suing him for copyright violation.
Eros asks for default judgment after Leatherwood misses deadline
Robert Leatherwood, the 19-year-old Texan accused of being Second Life avatar Volkov Catteneo, has ignored a court deadline naming him as the principal defendant in the first Second Life copyright lawsuit, a lawyer for the plaintiff said on Thursday.
Merchants decry Second Life copyright chaos
As Second Life grows larger and the base of entrepreneurs who center their real-world income on dealing in virtual goods expands, copyright infringement and trademark protection has emerged as one of the most pressing problems affecting in-world businesses. But the laws and procedures for Second Life-based businesses to follow if their products are copied remains unclear.
Eros lawyers ID ‘John Doe’ avatar; Youth denies he’s Catteneo
After almost four months of searching, lawyers have identified Robert Leatherwood, 19, of North Richland Hills, Tx., as Second Life avatar “Volkov Catteneo.” Leatherwood has denied he’s the real-life person behind the Catteneo avatar.
Residents threaten lawsuit to force landbot ban
Jeanie Shields’ parcel was acquired by a landbot, a controversial automated computer program that scours Second Life’s database of estate listings, looking for land below market value. Her pleas for assistance to Linden Lab having gone unanswered, Shields has teamed up with lawyer Marc Bragg (Second Life: Marc Woebegone) and is threatening legal action against Linden Lab in an attempt to shut down the landbots.
Modest rebound in user hours, premium accounts
Second Life users spent more hours online in September than in the previous month, reversing a decline in August’s usage, according to statistics released by Linden Lab on Monday.
Omnicom buys stake in Millions of Us
Virtual world development firm Millions of Us said on Thursday it has sold a undisclosed stake to a unit of Omnicom Group, the world’s biggest advertising services company.
European residents angry, but not leaving, over VAT
European users of Second Life bombarded Linden Lab executive Robin Harper on Tuesday with angry questions about the company’s plan to charge Value Added Tax (VAT), but many said they plan to continue on despite higher costs.
UPDATE - Linden raises possibility of virtual arbitrations in new ToS
Linden Lab changed Second Life’s Terms of Service on Tuesday, allowing residents to settle minor disputes with the company via binding arbitration by a variety of means, including legal proceedings inside Second Life itself.
