What is intellectual property?
n. A product of the intellect that has commercial value, including copyrighted property such as literary or artistic works, and ideational property, such as patents, appellations of origin, business methods, and industrial processes.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
As Second Life is a virtual realm, it could be said that everything created is intellectual property, as it is all an idea in an imaginative world. However-
Why should people care about IP theft?
As much as an artist in "reality" cares about someone making a forgery of their work, an author cares about someone rewriting their novel under a different name, or an inventor cares about someone taking their ideas, so do Second Life content creators - skin makers, fashion designers, prim sculptors, and many more - care about their original works.
And there's also the fact that people can sell stolen goods for Linden, the currency of Second life (not just the last name of Second Life staff). Linden, in turn, can be exchanged for real money. Like US dollars, UK pounds, Euros- there are system that transfer this "monopoly money" into something substantial. So as much as rip-off artists can milk fakes for cash, so can virtual thieves.
Speaking as artists, the girls know that it can be utterly deflating and demoralizing after you put so much work into something only to have someone in little to no time duplicate it. Often, the copies are of horrible quality, too, adding insult to injury. If this persists, creators may give up creating for good.
What can you do?
As an average person and/or Second Life citizen:
1.) Don't take advantage of bugs.
The first thing you can do as an individual is don't physically contribute to the problem. Don't go ripping because Second Life can be manipulated that way. Don't do it just because you can. Even if you just want to take something and make a minor adjustment, you're disrespecting the creator. There are other ways to make yourself unique. If you are looking to make a quick buck, try to camp or do surveys- Chino Yray.Com has a whole bunch of information on how to do this legally.
2.) Be aware of what you buy.
While most store-owners and merchants are honest, if something looks very familiar to something you have seen before (especially from large names like Nicky Ree), appears copy-pasted, or just has a suspicious feel to it, investigate! Look around, for your instincts are probably right. Contact the original content creators to alert them of the situation, and if there is the opportunity, contact site or land owners.
3.) Be mindful of how you report.
This matter can really rile people up, but sometimes that can harm rather than help. Speaking from experience, one of the girls made a comment about on product on SL Exchange (an online Second Life product store, like Amazon.com) using inflammatory language. Her comment was removed and the thief lowered his price of the product, adding in later that it "wasn't his fault if others stole his work" and that he has been original for so many years. To our knowledge, it is still circulating (the original content creator is not pursuing action because it is such shoddy work, in her opinion). With this in mind, think before you act. Explore a website for its report options, look around an area for who to contact. This will keep you from looking like the bad guy while the thief gets away!
4.) Support originality.
Even just leaving a kind word with a creator can make their day brighter and keep their spirits high. By showing that you care, creators will keep creating, despite the hardships they are facing. If you have the opportunity, go to events supporting the protection of intellectual property or show-off with pro-IP items. Whatever you do, stay positive, for you, too, are one of a kind!
For more information, check out this link from FabFree.
Content Theft in Second Life Pt. 2
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