Jojoruno on Flickr, a Second Life resident from South Korea, is currently involved in a commenting war with several community members for daring to speak up against SL designer Megg Demina’s McQueen “tribute” pieces. I myself was contacted by Megg regarding her pieces earlier this week but have not heard much more, and after seeing the images posted on Jojoruno’s Flickr, I have to say these do not follow the artistic ethics that (one would hope) most artists are indeed apt to follow.
From Jojo’s Flickr:
After getting a negative response from Megg I decided to make this matter public:
I am working in an art related field in RL, my work had been illegally copied 2 times already (I was lucky and able to settle these incidences outside court). I guess this is why following case in SL is really deeply upsetting me:An avatar named Megg Demina, owner of ‘Chapeau tres Mignon’, built exact copies of designs by Philip Treacy, Thierry Mugler, Leigh Bowery and Alexander McQueen in SL and is selling them with the names of the designers attached. She is calling her shop an ‘exhibition’ by the name “Heroes of Fashion.â€
With this she is insulting and perverting two things I love deeply: art (in the larger sense) and fashion.
I can relate to the desire of paying tribute to such amazing talents, I can relate to rebuilding RL designs in SL when it cannot be expected that these companies will ever come to SL and sell their designs here, but a tribute never involves or justifies personal enrichment.
It would be ok for me if the items would be only exhibited or given away for free, but to make money off other peoples designs with these people’s names attached is just morally wrong and btw illegal.
I highly doubt that Megg Demina has written permissions by the copyright holding companies to replicate and sell their designs, and it isn’t stated anywhere in the exhibition. After McQueen’s death she changed her plan (as noted in the shop) and is now going to donate at least proceeds from sales of the McQueen items. Illegally obtained money doesn’t get better if it’s given to charity, it’s actually a rather cynical move imho.There is no way to justify for me the copying of other designers for personal gain, no matter if it’s called tribute or that it took a lot of effort to copy these designs.
I ask hereby Megg to stop selling these items, or donating every single Linden$ earned in this shop to charity, or to publish the written permissions by the copyright holders.And as it doesn’t seem that Megg is going to change her actions I would ask all SL residents not to buy these items and bloggers (especially the ones who already did) not to promote items from this ‘show’ and thereby legitimate such behavior in SL.
Megg is not releasing these as a freebie, but while she attributes the original designs to McQueen (tiny kudos for that) the end fact is that she is still selling them at a profit. Megg has also claimed afterwards to be selling them and giving proceeds to charity, but it appears no evidence to the fact has occured. Jojoruno has questioned the validity of the “charity sale” statement, and inquires as to whether or not Megg obtained permission from the McQueen fashion house to reproduce these pieces of art.
Jojo is currently receiving what has become the “normal” reaction from the community whenever someone mentions this sort of thing – being called various four letter words in severely-armed diatribes while people try to add a pinch of venomous humour to the situation by distorting the original idea.
it pisses me off too, how can people who scream about their work being ripped think this is ok?
Why is no one lashing out against all the folks who are making the Pandora residents from the movie Avatar? Why do only SOME people get singled out? I don’t approve of this, however, and that question was out of curiosity. While I think it’s not right to deface someone like this and stick a giant letter on their forehead I can’t help but agree with Jojoruno here.
I think that it’s very wrong to cash in on someone’s death and it’s even more wrong to call yourself a creator when all you really are is an imitator.
Now if these were McQueen INSPIRED pieces that would be a different ball game. Oh but sorry, that would require creativity.
*cough* we have *cough*
Hi, welcome to SCD. Please keep your arms inside the tram as we begin the guided tour of “shit we’ve already covered”.
I’m like buttoning this too
Content creators( notice I did not say designers..) all over SL are guilty of this… taking a RL design copying it exactly and reselling it for a profit. That is not design. It is not art. You haven’t really created anything new so…. I think it’s just stealing really, right?
If you want to make something you saw in RL for SL then INTERPRET it in your own way. Put a personal spin on it or add an element of design to it. Don’t duplicate it. It’s boring and wrong. Stop reaping the benefits of other people’s real genius.
According to DMCA rules, its ok to make a similar creation, but wrong to market it under same brand. She should take off the designer labels she is associating with them.
All Pandora-Avatar related items have been pulled from the market if you have noticed. Blue skins are fine not if you sell them with the Pandora/Navi tag on them.
This is exactly why I report every store in SL that sells Star Wars avatars, or avatars from Avatar, or from any franchise. I got some stuff controlled at boxed heroes before, but then after they went into hiding they came back and used batman designs etc and renamed it detective but it still was batman. I’ll get every place eventually. Most of the RP sims and weapon places using anime designs for their guns are all no talent hacks. They will pay. Why is Bayonetta “inspired” boots on xstreet, and why is it allowed?
I can’t wait to go after all the FF13 stuff people will create and make money off of since I CAN personally stop that.
No talent hacks indeed.
Really?!? You guys are going too far…not a single one of those in-world designs are EXACT replicas. Heavily inspired yes but far from exact..please.
Where does one draw the line between ‘heavily inspired’ and ‘exact replica’? If I see a piece, and know exactly what original ‘heavily inspired’ it, does that not make it as unoriginal as an ‘exact replica’? To my mind, there is no difference. I am inspired by many things, but feel no need to copy them in order to express my creativity.
There is nothing wrong with creating tribute pieces. It IS wrong to profit from them.
She’s part of that entire brat pack, take a look at her close friends and associates. The politest way to discribe them is hypocrites. They name, shame and gossip, drama queens the lot of them, but they are worse than the average copybotter if you ask me. What a cheek, fancy SELLING them, FFS.
yeah Megg’s friend have a reputation in this
Actually Tenshi..I called her a retard. That’s 6 letters, Not 4. But I would also like to say this whole situation has opened my eyes and I’ve taken it upon myself to join the movement.
I recently exposed someone for unauthorized copying in this picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kbeck_in_sl/4383437610/
For the unauthorized copying of wolves in Second Life. I even took it upon myself to contact the creator. Here is the exact text of the converstaion:
[22:33] Kasabian Beck: Hi.. i wanted to ask you about your white wolf replica..if you have a minute..I’m sure you are busy but let me know. I just wanted to ask if you got permission from the wolf community in the real world to replicate a real white wolf in second life?
(They were offline but this was their response)
[14:54]“SL Wolf Theif”: What wolf community in the real world? I do not think if there is a wolf community that they own rights to all wolves.
– Instant message logging enabled –
So You can see I too believe this all has to stop and that these problems are far more reaching than any of us ever thought possible. I mean how long before someone commits the senseless act of copying other things wolf related like this:
http://www.everythingwolf.com/shop/productimages/threewolfmoon.jpg
Thank you and to JoJo for opening all our eyes,
KB (The artist wannabe)
lmao Kasabian has reached SCD. I hope someone pisses him off so he stays as “the idiot on SCD” what this guyinaskirt or something guy used to be. KB’s entertainment value is even bigger!
Huh? is he a girl posing as a guy, I don’t get it?
You hit the nail. And as Cocoa said she should NOT use the original creators name.
Yes, Kas, we’ve all read your trying-too-hard-to-be-funny rants on Flickr, we don’t need to be subjected to more uneducated bile. Thanks though.
failing troll fails
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kbeck_in_sl/4392129132/?editedcomment=1#comment72157623395601827
Kas is nuttin but a pubbie. that kid has been tryin to be buddy buddy with us…ahh, amongst all the suckups in SL kas is a breath of fresh air. not.
thx for your personal fotos btw kas…
your “gallery” in w-hat doesnt make you anything but a pawbbee
love always,
digital worlds
Interesting. When SCD covered the Cachet (now Le Lutka) copy of an Alexander McQueen dress in 2008, I recall that many commenters expressed the view that the copy would have been OK had Cachet clearly identified the dress as originating from McQueen. It would seem that opinions have shifted somewhat since then, and it’s now not OK to use the RL designer’s name when creating something inspired from their designs. I guess the new SL trademark policy is having some kind of effect.
I think that yes, this new shift in opinion is due to the LL policy against names and such. Who knows.
She needs to remove the name brands from the Item name if she wants to continue to sell the items. Adding a note card explaining her inspiration would be nice. If she really wanted to do a “tribute” and exibit the items not for sale then having the name wouldn’t be that big a deal.
I won’t get into moral or ethical issues of creators in SL using RL designs that topic is a sink hole I don’t have time to fall in atm.
Although, I do not agree with making profit off of someones death, the time and effort put in recreating something as Megg has is a big deal. The girl has talent– talent that I surely DO NOT have. So many creators isl borrow ideas, if not textures and all, from real designs. That is the world of SL. Although I do think jojo is a great creator in sl, I feel that she has started a war for the sake of starting a war. And quite honestly, I find that Kasabian’s humor against her is great! He’s copying her reaction and people think he’s just being stupid. If you go against Megg, there are hundreds of other creators in world that you have to. You can’t just single out one creator. And although i believe that jojo could have a good argument, I feel like the argument was more personal and has been carried out in the WRONG way. The posting of chat logs and the whining on FLICKR is childish and lame. People should stop jumping and look at the BIG PICTURE here, not just one person in a virtual world with millions.
My problem with Megg is that she has the cheek to do this when she’s known for bitching about her stuff being “copied” in world when some of it is actually just regular RL stuff- being the first well-known person to take something inworld does not make you the automatic owner of that idea. It’s the hipocracy here I can’t believe, which is also the reason a lot of people went after Cachet. When you scream about rules being broken, you should realize that those same rules also apply to you.
exactly!
totally agree with that statement. Her and her friends are always bitching, being bitchy and trying to name and shame people they think are doing this kind of stuff.Then one of their own does exactly that and because they all think they are above everyone else they can’t handle someone actually confronting them about it.
Great she has talent. If only she was getting attention for designs she thought of.
Anyone been to Modern Gypsy lately??? A great deal of the A/W 2009 McQueen collection closely recreated has been for sale there for quite a while.
yes but is it under the guise of “oh this is for chairty, I profit not from this” doubt it
I looked today and have so many quetions
Corn Furniture lots of RL copies and google images
Maximum Minimum Furniture – furniture copies
Redgrave ( remember the D&G label left in) Photosourcing from copyright images
PDA Poses – names poses after famous people
i can go on and on with the list. Jojo attacked one creator. Lots of charities do not use a different account my donation for RedCross went to Barb so to jump to that opinion is wild. We trusted Barb, Gattina to make the right donations from our money, so jojo why not megg? What do you know we don’t?
why did Jojo not make a wider view? It makes her look like she makes a victim? Why one person singled out for this and so many ignored?
I dont know if the above people are allowed to make copies of what they sell. Or if you are allowed to name things after famous people I am sure you can as they are reputable stores or they have permission. i love Tenshi’s Elton John glasses so my guess is names can be used?
it’s all very confused to the average people using this game.
Perhaps the difference is that the people you named don’t actually infringe on the trademarks of the product. It’s why bags that look like Louis Vuitton bags but use “LW” or something that distinguishes it from the actual brand are legal, but ones that replicate it, trademarked logos, braning and all, are considered counterfeit and not legal.
Megg used the actual name of the *brand* in selling her replicated products and as using that as a advertising point.
I think its just an “I dont like you” and “I dont like you” either kind of thing. It was brought up out of personal dislike and those joining in are making their battles against those they do not like. Whats between Jojo and Megg is between them. Why bring in others? Its funny to see the trend of the same people involving themselves…
Gattina and Kas. COME ON. It is not like we havent seen THAT before. It provides us all entertainment which is why we all obsess over it. In a month there will be another witch hunt over someone else that has pissed off some other person and sparks will be flying again.
If you don’t want megg making a profit then dont buy. If you appreciate the work shes done, the knock yourself out. Give her your linden.
If it goes to charity– then thats where it ends up.
Drama is what makes SL goes round to most of these people. Its not about content theft anymore but one group not liking another.
Fingers cannot be pointed at ONE PERSON but everyone involved.
Yeah, but if you’re known for being a finger pointer, don’t get all huffy when people catch you doing the same thing you accused other people of.
“The girl has talent– talent that I surely DO NOT have.”
I hate this argument. Using that logic anyone who does not play the saxophone should fall down and worship me now. I have a talent you don’t have!
We all have talents, and I’ll be the first to admit some are cooler than others (not mine, I played the sax, but even when I could hear it wasn’t that good! LOL). Having a “cool” talent does not give you the right to do just anything, nor should it absolve you of responsibility or ethics, nor should it allow you to treat others like crap. House is a tv show, not a life model.
I think if this was just about drama then I’d agree with Lyla. However, copyright issues are a heavily debated subject in SL and I think this is an ethical question worth considering. When does it go too far? It would be easy to chalk this up to drama and not have to think about the bigger picture, but it would also be rather irresponsible in my opinion. I have to applaud JoJo for speaking up knowing the backlash from so many. I know there are some people who live for SL drama, however, regardless of who started the conversation and why, it’s now here and doesn’t deserve to be dismissed simply over WHO said it.
I don’t know the whole story so I am not taking sides on the issue itself. My personal opinion is if you wouldn’t do it in RL then don’t do it in SL.
I love how Kas Beck always throws himself in the middle of *any* drama. He has been doing that for years.. he has no talent to speak of ( none, zero, nada ) except that talent he sucks of the various women he has used in SL to promote said lack of talent…
Makes me laugh with GLEE everytime!