When is it truly stealing?

I was listening to music and poking around the SLExchange forums when this thread caught my eye:

I've Been Accused Of Content Theft!


Always interested in that, I opened it up. It seems a hair designer has been accused by another hair designer of ripping off style of hair. We've seen it before, right? Who hasn't noticed ETD hair in freebie shops? I still remember a newbie proudly showing me her new hair she'd picked up in a store and she couldn't believe it was so cheap at only $50L for a few colors. She was wearing the ETD Airy hair which you can pick up for $1L for a huge pack at ETD. The hair she was wearing was so badly textured, where it should have been transparent at the bottom, it very much was not.

But the thing that got me about this story is that the hair in question was not copied prim for prim. The textures were not copied. In fact, the only thing you could say is that Designer B may have been inspired by Designer A.

So if you read the forum, you see Designer A come out and say, "Inspiration is one thing- using sectional stylistic elements is another."

Oh? So no one in SL can make a ponytail because the first hair designer in SL made a ponytail? And no one in SL can put a barrette in some hair because someone else did it first? I don't THINK so.

I went to Designer B's store to check out the demos. She does very good work. Nice textures, and the hair is fairly well made. If she had hair that was a little more faerie and a little less warrior princess, I probably would have bought some. But while I was standing there, someone just happened to wander in.

Random Stranger: LOl so much content theft
Me: From this store?
RS: oh yeah
RS: all the hair
Me: Prim for prim, or merely inspired?
RS: they are all ripped pieces of Dark Artistry hair
RS: oh hair ripped pirm for pirm and the put together different
RS: recombining hairstyles basically
Another Stranger: That's generally what art is.
Me: Hmm... Guess I should go to the other store then and check out their demos.
RS: well yeah but like obviously so
AS shrugs
RS: I mean like I own the hair she used here
RS: it is litterally taking a peice from that and adding to piece from this
Alicia Chenaux smiles. Well....since no one owns the rights of a ponytail or a crown, I guess I'll hop over to the other store and check it out just to see for myself.


Most people don't strike up conversations with me unless they read my blog. Especially when I'm only trying on some demos. Don't tell me that was just a woman who happened to come by and start talking about content theft.

In fact, I think she needs a course in what content theft really is. Had the hair been ripped prim for prim, I would have agreed with her. Had the textures been ripped, I would have agreed. But when you run around accusing people of stealing when they have not, then that is very very wrong.

I have your name, Random Stranger. I don't think you were in there telling me about "theft" out of the goodness of your heart.

Being a good blogger, I did go out to the other store and picked up some demos.






Are they similar? Sure, why not. But you find many similar hairstyles in SL. How many long straight styles are there? How many styles with the two little buns on top of your head? How many pigtails and ponytails and curly hair and hair with flowers and ribbons and crowns are there? Are these direct rips? No. Are they similar enough to have Designer A shout and scream, ban Designer B from their store, and basically show their ass because there could be competition? Absolutely not. In fact, I spent $3-4L in Designer A's store getting demos and feel that was too much.

Just to double check, I went to a sandbox and threw both wigs down on the ground to inspect them. Designer B not only managed to create a lovely hairstyle, but she did it in less prims AND she labeled every single prim in the hair.

Did Designer B get inspiration from Designer A? Possibly. But how many fantasy book covers and fantasy movies and fantasy games are there where these styles are common? Those loops I have seen on HCT hair. And I have seen many styles where the bangs are swooped to the sides like that.

Content theft is one thing. Someone possibly being inspired by someone else is another. And who is to say that Designer B was inspired by Designer A at all? I had been working on something silly [a wearable grill, which Sehra saw me in a few weeks ago] and the other day Levi and I went to his friend's friend's store and right there on the wall was a wearable grill. Should I scream that he ripped me off? I'd be ashamed of myself if I did!! Also, I was working on a belt and Catnip came out with a similar idea a couple of weeks later. Should I throw a fit? Hell no, because they did it a lot better. LOL

All I know is, you better REALLY watch your mouth before you say something was stolen. There could be consequences for your actions.

As always, feel free to discuss. :)