This evening, I’ve translated and moderated a discussion – more of a fight, really – about skin theft. The thief, I’m sad to say, since we have 99% Portuguese speaking readers, was Brazilian, so I went there to give a hand. He gave some very lame excuses about finding the files on Google, then stated that, since they were now on his computer, they were his. Just like that, no problem whatsoever, even when confronted, again and again, with the fact that something that is on the net still has an owner. They were his and that was it. He was given all Eloh Elliot files and templates and then we explained that those he could modify and give away or sell, as long as the original creator rights were maintained. Finally, I guess that out of tiredness and because of the huge crowd outside his store (and not because he suddenly became honest), he said that he would take them out, if all the people there would go to Brasil Island, where they were selling stolen skins as well. Not a lot of people could go, since many creators are banned from the island…so that was postponed. But he did take the skins down.
This problem will go on forever. Linden Lab will not do a thing, I’m quite sure, so one of the solutions is quite simple:
You creators out there, will have to crush competition. Take Eloh’s files or some of your old skin files and make skins. A lot of them. With a lot of bikini marks, tattoos, heavy makeup, a lot of pink and lashes; and find a place to sell them all. At a very low price. Very low. All in the same place. And the publicity and the market laws will take care of the problem for you. It’s a war, so use the same weapons.
