Insilico: Roleplaying on Mars of the Future

By Ozymandius (0zymandi)

“Welcome to INSILICO” My cybernetic guide Star Raven typed, punctuating her greeting with a smiley face, "This is East, our homestead. We have a few rentals here, but not many due to prim space limits. We have two venues here for role play and any event. The Buddha Bowl was a landmark of West INSILICO (which is no longer with us for various reasons), so we moved it here and upgraded it to mesh.”

I looked around at all the neon signs and strobing lights. This was not my first visit to INSILICO but the futuristic cyber punk sim is so immense that even the most road savvy navigator could run the risk of losing his way, so I thought to call on one of the sim admins to see if they would be willing to show me around. The admin board is close to the teleport landing zone so I looked over the profile pictures and thought to myself; “The girl with the green hair looks friendly."

Shortly after clicking on her picture I was hailed by Star Raven and, after appearing before me in the form of a metallic humanoid, I was pleased to learn she was INSILICO’s Public Relation’s GM.

    "INSILICO was founded in 2008 by Skills Hak along with a few guest artists, some of which still build here art projects time to time.” The glittering silver android explained in her own peculiar grammatical style. "Insilico itself was an art project in the creators eye as a vision of the future, but as soon at it was done, role players came in and made it a home with Skill's blessing."

I listened to Star Raven with curious fascination as she shape shifted into the girl with the green hair. Perhaps she had greeted me with a metallic form on the chance I might be hostile or maybe she had been doing industrial work in deep space where the lack of oxygen and warmth would have been too severe for her more fragile shape. Whatever the reason was there was little time to wonder as INSILICO is a big place, and I had opted for the walking tour.


    "Skills founded our RP website and helps us run the sim as we help her in turn together. She doesn't RP, but helps maintain and rebuild along with our new builder Stark Osterham.” According to my green haired guide, INSILICO is a multi-tiered sim that includes INSILICO City, Mars, Cyberspace, Lyra Station, Kill City, and Earth Ruins.

    "Insilico takes place in the year 2485 where humanity has made Earth uninhabitable due to wars and pollution.” She elaborated as we strolled past hotels, restaurants, sushi bars and private apartment buildings. "We have many groups in Insilico. Metro is our fan group, we have a renters group and small groups for establishments in sim. We have only one roleplay group that is open to all factions to get up to date RP local, requests, and story lines."

Above our heads the flashing lights of air cars swished past like fireflies in the twilight sky and I instantly felt I had stepped into a scene from the movie “Bladerunner".

    "Insilico also has real artists, DJs, and other media come into sim from ti\me to time to play such venues.” Star Raven said as I took a quick snap of a building illuminated by fluorescent Korean text. "The Aftermath is more punk, Reaktor is more adult, Fusion more class, and Asylum on Mars more adventurous."


It was truly remarkable the depth of the design, the vastness of the future city and yet I did not experience the lag I had experienced on far smaller and less complicated sims.

    "We are more than just a roleplay sim, we like to help out the bloggers, shop owners, shoppers, photographers, rpers, and vistors in sim with what ever they want.” She said as we approached an Arabesque cafe known as the "Kasbah Cofeehouse”. "In Central we also have the K9 Fight Club for combat and The Blue Ant, a great and starter rp spot."

After passing through the cafe we ascended a flight of stairs into an art gallery and after taking a quick look at the Second Life snapshots that graced the gallery walls I inquired as to the means by which artists exhibit their work.

    "They can ask us and we would be happy to set them up at a fair rental price, beside they can sell their art work in gallery as we promote it on our Facebook, Twitter and main Insilico site.” She replied before commenting on some near bye apartment buildings. "not everyone can afford our rent, so we offer limited space at 25 prims in an area for 100L a week for a great test drive so to say."

Again my guide changed forms, adopting a humanoid shape with a glowing skin that seemed to be covered with pulsating circuits and binary code.

    "This is south the corporate area and the most rentals are here in Tokuma Tower.” She said as she floated around my primitive human body. "Behind is IPS HQ the protectors of the city. There is Hot Chicks a burger joint, Terra Firma a coffehouse and bar, AGIS Medical, and Tra's Diner car which was in West too. We also have a moving Sky Diner but at the moment is parked to request by renter. The sim is slowly getting upgraded from sculpts to mesh on all parts.”

So that explained the lack of lag, I concluded as we entered a darker and more daunting part of the city.

    "This is where we test weapons and combat meters. Its based off of Kowloon and Shanghigh” Star Raven explained. "a small city perfect for urban combat, we know some of the main city due to the shops and what now can be laggy, so we off here for some fun ... We try to make it easier for everyone. We know how lag kills fun :/"

I had to agree with the little shape shifter, lag does kill fun. But the technology of INSILICO was astounding and our trip to Mars, a six month voyage by space shuttle in 2015, took less than a blink of an eye as we teleported to the dusty red planet.

    “Welcome to Mars, land of rust and blood.” The glowing guide said with a gleam in her translucent eyes. "Mars RP is more driven by combat then just story. The colonists are attacked by the 1st colonists, the local D'naa, who want to keep the land for themselves after they were abandoned by Earth long ago in its first attempt to colonize. They over time survived and grew its own culture and language. So these new colonists seem like invaders to their land. Nothing is black and white on Mars, only shades of red. The Colonists want to take the land by military force, and the D'naa use terror to claim it back."

I looked around nervously. Happily, the tour through Mars continued without incident but we had teleportation problems getting to the Lyra Station so my guide decided to transport me using a space plane. For a glowing humanoid covered with microchip tattoos, Star Raven was an excellent pilot and I only vomited once during our ascent to the Lyra station.

At this point in the tour it was getting late so I thanked Star Raven, who had spent more than two hours showing me around INSILICO. However it seemed I had only seen the tip of the iceberg so I look forward to my next visit to the future, and hope that the dark prophecy of a dying planet Earth, destroyed by war and pollution will serve as a warning to all of us, that what we need most in this life are keepers and caretakers of this beautiful planet and not destroyers.

Ozymandius

CBS Cracks Down on Sales of "Star Trek" Goods in Second Life

 Second Life has a large science-fiction community, consisting of roleplaying groups, sci-fi themed combat areas, and general fans. While some areas and items are completely original, other places and groups are inspired by stories and shows. Probably the science fiction show with the biggest following is "Star Trek," with a number of roleplaying groups and locations. Ships, uniforms, building styles, alien race avatars, and other items are faithfully depicted as much as the builders' time and skills can allow. Even people not in role-play groups have sought Trek items, for Halloween, costume parties, or just for fun. And numerous Star Trek items have been made for sale in both inworld stores and the Marketplace.

There's just one not so small problem. The "Star Trek" franchise falls under copyright protection, which is owned by CBS. And begining last month, they began making an effort to enforce it in Second Life.

Following a tip from a reader, Second Life Newser got in touch with Cheshyr Pontchartrain, the owner of Novatech which made a number of Star Trek items. Cheshyr told me someone had "turned-in a number of Star Trek groups and merchants to CBS. … My problem is the way Linden Lab handled the issue. CBS objected to all content, yet Linden Lab singled me out with a one-week suspension. The shops that exclusively sell Star Trek merchandise weren't enough touched. Their items are still online." He stated he had heard the one who notified CBS was involved in a personal feud "with various Trekkies here."

Cheshyr also provided copies of the emails to Linden Lab and himself, in addition to his response to CBS. His letter stated he had removed the bulk of his items from sale and would soon have the last of them gone, and asked "exactly what CBS Studios is objecting to, and what we are permitted to do, so that we can avoid this in the future."

I was also told that set designs, such as the classic Enterprise bridge, are only protected for 25 years from publication. And since classic Star Trek has been off the air for 43 years, something seems off.  I may have been misinformed, but 40+ years of people selling Star Trek art, mock-up real-world bridges, etc., implies that little was done to discourage them.

Losing a few products means little to me, as Star Trek is an insignificant part of my product line, and $80 income in 7 years is hardly life-changing.  But there are thousands of Star Trek fans in the Second Life community who are afraid they’ll have to move on to a new TV series because of this.  Any light you can shed will be appreciated, especially by your fan base.

Second Life Newser also contacted Ntanel Swordthain of the IFT Sci-Fi Alliance. His response was the following:

I am working on it with CBS.  I have to hold off on saying much more than that we know that they are going down the SL Marketplace list and starting from the largest offenders to the smallest.  The largest, as we now know, was Cheshyr Pontchartrain.  We do not know with any certainty that CBS is coming into Second Life or if the statement from CBS' legal representative about allowing no replication of Trek properties is the actual intent of CBS.  If it is, it will effectively end Trek fandom on Second Life.  As of now, we are still operating under the rules of fair use.  Until I get clarification on the statement made by CBS' legal representative, we will proceed as normal.  This by no means gives anyone permission to continue breaching CBS' rights by selling replicated items. I will update everyone via a notice on the IFTSFA group once I know more. 

A look at Second Life Marketplace searching for items tagged "Star Trek," most items had little to do with Trek, though a few obviously were, and others bared some resemblance to ships and things from the show. When a small science fiction convention took place inworld, people were cautioned about selling Trek items, otherwise the groups were to proceed as normal.

Twice in the history of Second Life, the lawyers of the copyright owners of two science-fiction stories have gone after roleplay groups. In 2009, The Frank Herbert Estate went after a 130 member group and their "Dune" sim, which responded by removing copyrighted terms and renaming themselves. In 2010, Universal Studios went after "Battlestar Galactica" items and sims, and Linden Lab closed down some places. A few months later, Universal reached an agreement with the BSG groups, saying they could use the name, but no items made with copyrighted terms could be sold: uniforms, ships, weapons, etc. would have to be "freebies."

Both times, some inworld Trekkers wondered if they might be next and what would happen. Now, the copyright owners are focusing attention on the content that makes their areas what they are. What happens next remains to be seen. Will Star Trek in Second Life will vanish, or continue to "live long and prosper?"

Bixyl Shuftan


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CBS
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

On behalf of Lisa Cattan

October 23, 2012

Via Email
Laura Pirri
Linden Research, Inc.
945 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
removals@lindenlab.com

Dear Ms. Pirri:
 
I write on behalf of CBS Studios Inc. (the “Rights Owner"), owner of certain intellectual property rights to the television series “Star Trek.” We have a good faith belief that the information in this notice is accurate. Under penalty of perjury, I am authorized to act on behalf of the Rights Owner.

We are notifying you of infringement of the Rights Owner’s rights under the Copyright Act and counterpart laws around the world at the following location(s):

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/RankPins-2353-2366/3429749
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-Catsuit-Science/3370711
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/RankPins-2367-Nemesis/3429738
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2369-Command/3365364
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-Catsuit-Command/3370709
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2353-Deluxe/3360135
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2373-Science/3367950
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2373-Command/3367944
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2369-Operations/3365370
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2353-Command/3360086
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2373-Flag/3367952
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2373-Deluxe/3367938
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2353-Science/3360108
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-Catsuit-Flag/3370703
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2390-Command/3369487
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2369-Deluxe/3365386
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-Catsuit-Operations/3370706
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2390-Science/3369532
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2390-Flag/3369556
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2353-Flag-B/3360132
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2390-Operations/3369511
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2373-Operations/3367947
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2369-Science/3365376
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2353-Operations/3360119
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2353-Flag-A/3360126
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2373-Demo/3367939
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2369-Demo/3365357
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-Catsuit-Demo/3370696
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2353-Demo/3360041
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Uniform-2390-Demo/3369477
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Combadge/3429829
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Constitution-Class-Starship-Bridge/206531
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Type-6-Shuttlecraft/3457381

We have a good faith belief that this material is not authorized by the Rights Owner, its agents or the law.

To the extent that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 512(c) (the "DMCA") applies to your service, if at all, we hereby request that you act expeditiously to remove or disable access to the identified material. 

Should you need additional information, please contact me at the telephone number or email listed below.

Nothing in this letter shall be construed as a waiver or relinquishment of any right or remedy possessed by the Rights Owner, or any affiliated party, all of which are expressly reserved.

Sincerely Yours,

Lisa M. Cattan
CBS | Counsel, Intellectual Property
51 West 52nd Street | New York, NY 10019
(212) 975-4264 | lisa.cattan@cbs.com

Chris Ellis Jr.
CBS | Intellectual Property Enforcement Clerk
51 West 52nd Street | New York, NY 10019
(212) 975-8920 | chris.ellis@cbs.com

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51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019

On behalf of Lisa Cattan

October 25, 2012

Dear Mr. Pontchartrain:

Thank you for your response and inquiry. Enclosed for your information is the DMCA notice CBS submitted to Linden Research, Inc. 

CBS Studios Inc. (“CBS”) is successor in interest to various rights of Paramount Pictures Corporation and owner of all rights to the television series STAR TREK and related series (collectively, the “Series”). CBS’ rights in the Series include trademarks, logos, designs and numerous copyrights in videos, images, sounds, sets, props, ships’ names and designs, costumes, the characters, ranks and other original elements appearing therein (collectively, the “Properties”).  In addition, CBS owns all merchandising rights associated with the Series, and as rights owner, CBS is obligated to police and protect its properties against unauthorized users.

Based on our review of your numerous listings on the Second Life Marketplace at https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/6116, it appears that you are making a business of creating content for the Second Life virtual game, which incorporates CBS’ valuable intellectual property rights in the content itself and promotion thereof (the “Infringing Products”). A sample list of the Infringing Products is provided below:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galileo-Shuttlecraft/3316217
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Elevator-Voyager-Turbolift/206440
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Networked-Replicator-System/206572
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Grid-Wide-Transporter-Voyager/206451
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Elevator-Galaxy-Class-Turbolift/206445
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Bridge-Set/206492
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Holodeck-Shell/206547
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Sickbay-Set/206511
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Engineering-Set/206530
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Destroyed-Starship-Bridge/206528
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Akira-Class-Bridge-Set/2227371
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Voyager-Sickbay/2233889
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Type-70-Form-Type-6-Shuttlecraft/3483066
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Elevator-Classic-Turbolift/2632312
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/USS-Pasteur-Bridge-Set/2227392
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Grid-Wide-Transporter-Klingon/2227482
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Voyager-Transporter-Room/3068692
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Comm-Station-Combadge-Free-Addon/1236249
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/USS-Sutherland-Bridge-Set/2348363
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Constitution-Class-Holodeck-Shell/3389598
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Elevator-Pegasus-Lift/4097412
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/USS-Valkyrie-Bridge-Set/206555
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Astrometrics/2226662
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Romulan-Warbird/206522
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Junior-Officers-Quarters/2229135
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Hallways/206527
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Galaxy-Class-Senior-Officers-Quarters/2229121

Your unauthorized use of these Properties constitutes copyright infringement under the Copyright Act, and counterpart laws around the world, and trademark infringement, false designation of original, misappropriation and unfair competition under the Lanham Act and applicable international laws.
CBS appreciates your interest in and enthusiasm for the Series.  However, we must object to the Infringing Products.  While CBS is entitled to seek damages from you for your prior infringing conduct, should you agree to the following terms, CBS will agree to refrain from seeking damages for Infringing Products sold prior to your notice of our claims:
1.    Immediately cease all creation, distribution, promotion and sales of the Infringing Products and destroy all materials used to create unauthorized copies thereof,
2.    Refrain from advertising, selling and/or posting the Infringing Products in any format on the Second Life Marketplace, and at any other websites or locations where you may be offering and/or selling the Infringing Products; and
3.    Provide a written undertaking that you will refrain from these actions in the future.

We trust that you understand CBS’ concerns regarding the infringement of its rights and that you will cooperate fully with us without the need for further action.

Nothing in this letter shall be construed as a waiver or relinquishment of any right or remedy possessed by CBS Studios Inc., or any affiliated party, all of which are expressly reserved.

Sincerely Yours,

Lisa M. Cattan
CBS | Counsel, Intellectual Property
51 West 52nd Street | New York, NY 10019
(212) 975-4264 | lisa.cattan@cbs.com 

Chris Ellis Jr.
CBS | Intellectual Property Enforcement Clerk
51 West 52nd Street | New York, NY 10019
(212) 975-8920 | chris.ellis@cbs.com