For many people with very little going on in their lives, Second Life is a great retreat, a place where they can be anyone they want. Or at least, it was. New rules are being put into place that will stop Second Life users from creating avatars of existing people, with Barack Obama and Angelina Jolie specifically referenced.
Second Life publisher Linden Labs was sued earlier this year by TASAR Inc. over a trademark dispute. It would appear that, while the suit was dropped, Linden is taking no chances and making sure that similar legal difficulties don't arise in future.
Quite how Linden Labs will enforce this, however, I don't know. For a start, it's not actually illegal to create likenesses of real people. Even if it were, however, I don't envy the people who now have to troll through Second Life's huge userbase, trying to eliminate anything and everything that might be fall under their new prohibition. Something tells me there will be a lot of Obamas out there, and Linden's not going to catch 'em all.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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12:20 PM on 08.12.2009
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This can't possibly be enforced, even if they had the manpower to ban them all. And even then, there's much worse going on in that god forsaken virtual world.
We're also holding a memorial service for Mayor McCheese. Funeral plans are being made. Guest Celebrity Speakers include Brad Pitt look alike, Elvis, 3 of the Ninja Turtles, Warhammer Soldiers, a fat naked man smoking a cigar with a plunger on his head wearing a ducky floatie, and Phillip Linden.