Support DMCA Transparency! Vote for my JIRA!
Today, my dear readers, I entered a scary and fantastical place, where few dare to tread, and danger is waiting around every corner. And I wasn’t even in-world! No, I took my first tentative steps into JIRA today, Linden Lab’s online tracking system for bugs and new feature requests.
Why would I subject myself to JIRA, you ask? Well, over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending a conference on content theft that was hosted by SL’ang Life. I had been asked to present something, but given the hectic-osity of my life, especially during weekend days, I had to say no. I thought the chances were better than even that I would be halfway through the speech when all of a sudden my eldest daughter would awaken from her nap and find a way to escape her crib and engage in her current favorite pastime - stuffing paper down the toilet. So rather than risk going AFK and slumpy on stage, I demurred.
And wouldn’t ya know it, I ended up being able to stay for the entire conference after all (though I did spend the last half with my daughter strapped to my chest with a Baby Bjorn... ahh parenthood). More details, after the jump.
Even if I'd been able to participate, reaching the microphone might have been a problem.
No, I'm not bitter.
It turns out that I wasn't necessary, anyway - Juris Amat gave a tremendous talk on the legal issues of content theft and DMCA, and the lovely Gwen Carillon presented on behalf of the Content Creators Association. I doubt I could have topped them, so I’m glad I stayed off the stage! SL’ang Life is supposedly going to post the transcript of the discussion, but I haven’t seen it yet. I will update this post if and when it appears.
Anyway, one issue that came up during the discussion was that all the information about Linden Lab’s enforcement of their DMCA policy is anecdotal. I know that personally, trying to get up to speed on the issue has been difficult, just because there’s no good information out there on how DMCA is being enforced. I’ve been able to talk to quite a few wonderful designers about their experiences, but those are just a few data points and I have no idea if they’re giving me the full picture.
So, I filed my JIRA today, asking for Linden Lab to periodically post statistics on their DMCA procedure, such as the number of notices filed, the number of takedowns of content, etc. Yeah, I know, terribly exciting stuff - I won’t bore you with all the details, if you want to know more you can find it in the issue description on JIRA.
If you care at all about the content theft issue, I urge you to go vote for this issue - it’s SVC-1869. I know it's dry stuff, but this really is an important issue. It’s terribly difficult to come up with solutions to the current content theft problem without first knowing what the current situation is.
In a post today (coincidentally also dealing with JIRA!) Hamlet Au quotes a Linden Lab representative who says that "we urge Residents to continue to use PJIRA to let us know what they consider to be priorities." Philip Linden has remarked twice in recent video interviews about the value of transparency and the need for LL to be more transparent. I think this will be a great test of whether he is serious, or if "transparency" is just a meaningless buzzword.
UPDATE: SL'ang Life just posted the transcript of the discussion here.
March 18, 2008 5:27 PM
I would love for your blog to be a part of blog4reel.com - the first ever blog-to-film competition. And it is free! - Kimberly
March 18, 2008 7:55 PM
Gah, Blogger is munching up my comments like popcorn, last try :)
First and foremost, kudos for venturing into the fearsome den known as PJIRA. I bow to you and am all in support, having followed your tracks to have my aye taken on record there. It was the second vote, if I'm not mistaken, and I hope many more follow, one, because LL should stand by their transparency announcements, two, because a sound DMCA policy is the only viable alternative to some nightmarish DRM-ized client software (don't laugh, people are discussing this). Hugs and all the luck with your proposal, kit :)
March 19, 2008 11:34 AM
I just want to say that, as a non-SL player, I think this is a great idea. Not just for Linden, but all hosts. I really like this idea of DMCA transparency. I might have to do a post about this on my site soon...
Thank you for posting this.
March 19, 2008 1:34 PM
Rheta, thanks for the kind words and for supporting the JIRA. You know I think the world of you and your blog, so it means a lot to me. Sorry Blogger was trying to keep you from commenting, and glad you persevered!
Jonathan, I just took a look at your blog and... wow, I'm blown away. For a non-lawyer you've done an amazing and admirable job summarizing a difficult set of issues. If I've inspired you to write a post, I'm thrilled!
As for not "playing" SL, we may have to just do something about that! :) Drop me a line if you ever want to take a peek in-world, I think you might like what you see...
March 20, 2008 12:49 PM
Kit: Heads up on this one, you might want to take a look at this link as it references this entry and your proposal:
http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2008/03/20/the-need-for-dmca-transparency/
I hope it provides some additional attention to what you're trying to do and I liked being able to use your proposal as a start for more traditional hosts. You did a great job.
Regarding getting me into SL, I won't say I'm against it. However, between now and April 1 I have to prepare two major presentations so I'll be swamped. Shoot me an email after then though or I'll put a reminder in my calendar to contact you.
Your bluff has been called!
March 20, 2008 2:24 PM
Jonathan, what a great post, I would gush about it here but I thought it more appropriate to do so on your blog. Everyone, if you're interested at all in DMCA enforcement, you owe it to yourself to go read Jonathan's post. And, just about the rest of his blog, too - it's a great exploration of the subject, written in layman's terms.
Oh, and no bluffing involved about SL! I am always eager to lure intelligent, interesting people in-world, and I always offer to lend a hand because the entry can be a little bumpy and the learning curve steep. That, and the finder's fees are pretty good! No, I kid - but seriously, drop me a line (contact link is on the navbar) after your RL calms down. Good luck with the presentations!
March 20, 2008 11:53 PM
The reminder has been set! I'll touch base with you sometime after the first!
Looking forward to it!