Second Life (No Registration Mark) and Trademarks: Your Views Please
Linden Labs, owner of Second Life, has managed to create an uproar again by issuing guidelines governing use of the name and trademark. Others, mainly content creators and SL old-timers, have complained about the hamhanded approach and speculated that this move, coupled with the impending move by Philip Rosedale (aka Philip Linden) from the CEO chair back to the factory floor, might have something to do with a possible IPO.
I don’t think that’s the case, but I’ll be the last to know. Actually, to me it sounds like another brick in the wall of professionalization, as the company moves from nimble little innovator to lumbering corporate entity. It looks to me like a standard move to protect the corporate identity. After all, the Lindens don’t want to end up like Kimberly-Clark (Kleenex), Xerox (Xerox as a shorthand for photocopy) or Hormel (spam), all of whom let corporate trademarks run away from them.
I’m breaking a rule here: I’m not following the words “Second Life” with a registration symbol, mainly because it irks me to do it. Here’s what it looks like if I were to do it the right way: Second Life®. We old-fashioned journalists never did that trademark patent names in the old, musty days of print. You just know the lawyers were working overtime on this. On the long list of “This Is Not Okay” uses, the company prohibits “(making) up words that contain a Linden Lab brand name,” such as “Lindenism.” Oh, honestly.
However, I do have permission to use the new “inSL” logo. Maybe not after this publishes, but it’s listed below.
Read the guidelines here. And, a good commentary on the situation with links to others, by Wagner James Au in New World Notes here.
March 28th, 2008 • 
Evansmom Goodspeed • 
comment | March 28, 2008 at 16:17 | individual comment-link
Yeah, well, Hammy missed my links. He’s pretty good at that. That’s ok. I don’t read him anyway.
As a publisher (basically saying if LL has a problem, they have a method of recourse):
http://www.your2ndplace.com/node/1041
As someone standing with Gwyn
http://www.your2ndplace.com/node/1044
Overall, consensus on Y2P is pretty much the same - but we’re waiting on Linden Lab to clarify the situation.
comment | March 29, 2008 at 09:33 | individual comment-link
I concur exactly with your sentiments.
I also believe it is simply the shoring-up of their ‘corporate-ness’ in preparation for becoming bigger than they are and stepping into the ‘real world’. with this.
I also believe they are simply ‘recording’ it for recording purposes. I don’t believe they really expect you or I or anyone else who’s ever written about them to go back and change all those references. And even if they did, it’s a ridiculous assumption that is would be required by law or any other reason, as those references were made before the requirement was published.
Retroactive compliance is not a possibility.
I believe it is a loud bark with no bite. Unless you are CNN or ABC or C|NET or one of the other ‘big’ news organizations who constantly write about them.
I salute Linden Lab for doing this and my comment to them is ‘what the hell were you thinking that it took you so damned long?”
As for my own blog - the required mark in the header and footer. In the actual copy I write - hell no. It won’t happen.
Besides, if you (meaning everyone) actually read the requirements - you are told to put the marks on first use only.
The really funny one to me in addition to variations on the name “Linden” (which cracks me up completely - just lowercase-it - then it’s not a proper name and legal the way I see it,) is any claim to the initials “SL”.
From me to them: Pffft - it’ll never happen.
pingback | March 30, 2008 at 11:57 | individual pingback-link
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comment | April 2, 2008 at 04:44 | individual comment-link
Hope it’s cost effective for SL. I’ve since moved on.
I canceled my paid account last year, and have my free avatar sitting idle. Though it can’t be proven, I believe Linden Labs (Couldn’t find my ‘circle R’ key) is fixing the L$ market. There is no way it is that stable. I no longer trust them and have since moved on to other MMORPG’s. Personally - I no longer see a point to SL. Most of the places I’ve visited are ghost towns and I have no interest in paying real world $ in SL to buy clothing for my avatar.
comment | April 25, 2008 at 08:08 | individual comment-link
I live in the Netharlands and i can’t fill in a mobile provider, it is not available, so i can’t play the game…