Beware of XStreet
Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by Tenshi Vielle in Gossip, Wall of Shame
As most of us experienced creators know, Xstreet is the equivalent of a seedy back alley for full perm items. One such creator on Xstreet is currently selling Sims 2 user-created skins as sources under the guise that it’s totally okay to do.
I beg to differ. I’d also like to say, “Artistic ethics. Get some.”
A creator in SL recently purchased full perm lip sources from XStreet and was informed (kindly, before she released) that they were Sims 2 ripoffs, as are most of the merchant’s other items for sale.
[16:47] Hoodwinked Creator: I am dumb….
[16:48] Hoodwinked Creator: I honestly thought it was safe when there were no bad comments on her postings
The XStreet Sims2 Reseller, Katarzyncia Miami, does not appear to have a problem reselling content from ModTheSims.info and one of its creators, ShojoAngel, while that particular website does seem to have some loose rules on content theft – mostly a general dislike of the concept – there is no particular TOS about downloading / reselling.
ShojoAngel has her own short TOS:
Creator PolicyUploading terms:
- May be uploaded on pay sites if upload is free.
- File-share friendly.
With my meshes:
- You may include with Lots.
- You may include with Sims.
- You may include with recolours.
- You may re-use my textures for unrelated projects.
- Additionally:
- You may recolour using my textures.
- You may recolour making your own textures
With my recolours:
- You may include with Lots.
- You may include with Sims.
- You may recolour using my textures.
- You may re-use my textures for unrelated projects.
With my walls/floors:
- You may include with Lots.
- You may recolour using my textures.
- You may re-use my textures for unrelated projects.
General terms:
- Please give credit with a link when using my work.
- Use for whatever you want.
ShojoAngel appears to kill her own content with that last point “Use for whatever you want.” I somehow seriously doubt that the creator thought far enough ahead that someone may be making USD ($) off of her skins in Second Life. As of this posting, I have contacted ShojoAngel and made her aware of the XStreet reseller.
There is so much Sims 2 content for sale on XStreet – you really have to watch what you’re getting into. Better yet — create your own. Hopefully, however, with Linden Lab’s new moves on cleaning up XStreet, this will soon be a thing of the past.
admin
Aug 14th, 2009
Total thanks to Teena Basevi for helping me dig up all those Sims2 resource links!
Teena
Aug 14th, 2009
You’re quite welcome… it’s nice my skills can come in handy sometimes :p
Ann Otoole
Aug 14th, 2009
All I can say is if you buy a skin file off of xstreet you deserve what is probably going to happen. There are very few legitimate skinners selling resources on xstreet. So be careful.
I learned my lesson early on when i was pleased to find a male skin tga set (stolen) that looked good and happily (stupidly) put it in the free avatar kit for new residents. Someone was kind enough to point out *on the secondlife blog* (/me turns beet red) that it was ripped so I quickly had to get rid of it and replaced it with the eloh male skin that thankfully had been released.
Do not by skin tga files in second life.
Get skin psd resources at:
http://www.vintfalken.com/free-full-perm-female-skin-textures/ (nice arrangement of links to the eloh psd files)
http://sezmra.com/?page_id=7 (Sezmra Splendor resource)
Then mod away. go on renderosity and buy proper royalty free commercial use merchant resource kit licenses for eye makeup and lips. And have a ball making completely legitimate finished product skins to sell or give away.
Ann Otoole
Aug 14th, 2009
BTW the makeup and lip merchant resources sold on renderosity are not licensed for resell as merchant resource kits in SL. If you recognize one be sure to inform the renderosity artist so they can file the requisite DMCA(s).
Blink
Aug 15th, 2009
yeah, also what about all the star wars, marvel comics, dc comics, left 4 dead, guns made with textures from OTHER games? I’ve found weapons using textures from other games or mod communities and it’s easy to spot them, and easy to get access to view that. So much on Xstreet is infringing on franchises. I report it all to the original creators and some has gone down, but the stuff that doesn’t… I find ways. I FIND WAYS!
Twitted by danielvoyager
Aug 15th, 2009
[...] This post was Twitted by danielvoyager [...]
admin
Aug 15th, 2009
[0:53] Katarzyncia Miami: i would like to inform you that my sale is full legal, because sims 2 creators tell that you can do everything you want with they textures, and you can recolour it like i made…i would like to tell you that if you will not closed this bad thing on your blog i will inform lindens about it end i have got a right….read Linden Labs rulez to be sure that you are doing bad…
[0:55] Katarzyncia Miami: i have got payment info on my other avatar too so dont think that you will be better or something…no dramma…if you aren`t sure it is illegal you shouldn`t write it on your website…now have fun as long as you can
Ann Otoole
Aug 15th, 2009
Well if the skinners from the modthesims has given those works into the public domain then it is high time someone brought them into Second Life and set them up as free skins and skin resources.
admin
Aug 15th, 2009
ShojoAngel has updated her policy to not include “Use for whatever you want” and has now added “Let me know if you use my work.”
Misty Harley
Aug 16th, 2009
When will people learn that LL TOS has absolutely nothing to do with sites other then their own?
Be interesting to see how this plays out since the person got the resources under the previous policy before the updated change to limit use
Any idea if that means the person is still allowed to use the files?
Sileny
Aug 16th, 2009
Either way the person violated the original terms by not linking and crediting the original designer.
chilliho
Aug 16th, 2009
I think sticking to the “TOS” of any Sims 2 content is automatically limiting the original Sims 2 artist to a pretty shitty level. The problem is that those terms were written to be regarded *within* the Sims 2 community and never aimed at any resource beyond that realm. Also, the custom content is usually provided as free (looks like the so-called “pay sites” are unaffected as of now) add-on to the EA game and are not released as resource pack for commercial content.
After all, a lack of terms beyond the Sims 2 usage does not automatically mean that it would be ok to grab every single Sims 2 texture and upload it to SL.
In a way, saying “the Sims 2 terms did not forbid me to use the content in SL” sounds to me like “the manual did only state I may not cook my dog in the microwave oven, so I put in my hamster instead” … you are fully aware that that stuff is not intended to be used like you want to use it, yet you go ahead and do it. Sucks. Big time.
Business-In-Your-Box
Aug 16th, 2009
This Katarzyncia Miami sounds like a nasty piece of work with the way she tried to threaten you.
When will people learn that making an easy living off other people’s hard work is going to get you complaints?
Jazlyne
Sep 22nd, 2009
To start with I have read allot of these post about stolen skins and what not , at best it’s only a 50% chance and most of the creator they happen to be defending aren’t all that honest they like to appear to be ,and just for my personal amusement I would like to burst allot of bubbles many “Talk” about copyrights but don’t know one darn thing about it Clearly so don’t get you panties in a bunch tossing around that copyright word or you would make yourself look like an idiot in curt intact you can use copyrighted items and even recreate them along as it falls within the guideline of a Improvement and lately many have been tossing up all these words like content creation bla bla bla witch hold no ground without a legal copyright documentation and there is something else you al may want to know so you may want to pay close attention, when you make post and or comment on anything and you use a shop/person’s name you are committing a felony. Right or wrong if you put any person’s name to it and they take it in offence they can sue you and most live in ignorance that they cant be tracked down form some post or internet a little word about how you can be, with in the lawsuit they can sapina the server or game whatever your on for a release of your information ip-adress and so forth and just from your ipadress thay can sapina your ISP for your contact information and have you in curt so don’t let your words leave your mouth lightly take it from me as you notice I have not used any names in my post
Thunderclap
Sep 30th, 2009
Actually, Sims2 TOS when I worked in it said that all textures became property of EA when uploaded into the game or sold. So there you go.