Copyright and fair use: an SLBA presentation transcript and audio

copyright-fair-use

On Saturday March 1st, members of the Second Life Bar Association (SLBA) – real-life attorneys – sat down at the SLBA’s auditorium to discuss matters relating to copyright and fair use as they apply to US law and might impact content creators in Second Life.

In attendance were Agenda Faromet, who in real life is an attorney specialising in privacy and internet law operating out of San Francisco and Tim Faith (SL: Yoss Kamachi), a Maryland attorney with a strong background in IT and who deals with matters related to copyright, IP, trademark, etc.

Tim Faith and Agenda Faromet (stock)
Tim Faith and Agenda Faromet (stock)

In all, the session lasted just under 90 minutes, with initial presentations by Tim and Agenda, followed by joint coverage of a number of fair use cases in the US, prior to an open Q&A session.  An audio recording was made of the meeting, but suffered somewhat from microphones being overdriven.

What follows, is a transcript of that recording, which has been cleaned-up as far as possible, with unnecessary background noises, echoes, and pauses / repetitions edited out. For ease of reference, the transcript and audio have been divided into four sections:

To wander Caelestivm

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

Caelestivm occupies the full region of Palau, and belongs to the Lockhart family (Erwin Lockhart, Lord of Caelstivm and Sathiam Lockhart, Lady of Caelestivm, whom I had the pleasure of meeting when visiting the region). It offers a mixture of “Medieval light RP (English, Francais, Deutsh, Dutch, Italiano) Fantasy, Celtic weddings, Riding, Jousting” and rental opportunities for those so interested (contact the Lord of Lady of the land for details). It’s a new undertaking, so new, I understand the official opening is scheduled for the weekend of the 22nd-23rd March.

And I have to say, it’s an interesting mix, one SL photographers and those looking for an special backdrop for a photo shoot may well find worth a visit (although again, if thinking on using Caelestivm for a photo shoot, please contact the Lord or Lady of the estate first!).

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

This is something of a region of two halves in some respects, although everything flows together to form a whole. On the one hand, there is a very period setting for the region – medieval times, as indicated by the About Land notes – with visitors arriving in a very atmospheric port area. The attention to detail here is immediately apparent. Do have local sounds turned on when you arrive in order to enjoy the atmosphere of the place and take your time looking around; there are some lovely touches, including a hint as to the fantasy nature of the region, out in the harbour…

Beyond the port town lies more rural countryside, in places wooded, in others open for grazing  or rutted by well-worn cart tracks. Watermills slosh the water of a broad river spanned by stone bridges, washing is set out to dry on the river bank, and in a cleared field lay the lists and berfrois for jousting tournaments.

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

Slightly further afield, the countryside rises and takes on a more fantasy feel to it. Trees houses (one of them under the tree it’s built against, rather than up in the branches) can be found here, while up on a high plateau sits the Lord and Lady’s grand manor house, with smaller buildings parched on the lower reaches of the plateau, wooden walks linking them and a bridge leading to an ancient stone circle, Celtic in origin, and which appears to be the site for wedding (and other?) ceremonies.

Ruins down in the woodlands below also add to both the fantasy element of the region and its historical setting, again drawing them together. Are they the remains of an old medieval structure – an abbey, perhaps? Or are they even older still, the remnants of an elder race? Elsewhere standing stones and what appear to be ancient statues hewn from living stone add further depth to the region’s mixed history.

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

At the time I visited, Lord Lockhart was still working on the layout and refining things – so it is possible that some of the details seen in some of my shots here and on Flickr may well have changed since my visits. However, the overall look and feel should be pretty much as shown here.

In terms of role-play, the emphasis is very much on “light”, as Lady Lockhart explained to me during my visit, “We don’t want a true RP with rules and hierarchy and story, we want to let people live as they want, so long  as they follow the dress code.” Certainly, there is more than enough here to encourage a range of role-play, and the overall design does mean that individual activities needn’t get in the way of one another.

Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014Caelestivm, Palau, March 2014

Whether you’re looking for a venue for light RP with a medieval / Celtic / fantasy feel to it, or if you’re looking for a photogenic spot to visit, Caelestivm may be just the ticket. As noted above, the formal opening will be on the 22nd / 23rd March.

Related Links

Viewer release summaries 2014: week 11

Updates for the week ending: March 16th, 2014

This summary is published every Monday and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Current Viewer Releases Page, a list of  all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware), and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy
  • By its nature, this summary will always be in arrears
  • The Viewer Round-up Page is updated as soon as I’m aware of any releases / changes to viewers & clients, and should be referred to for more up-to-date information
  • The Viewer Round-up Page also includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.

Official LL Viewers

  • Current Release version updated on March 10th to version 3.7.3.287491 (formerly the Maintenance RC) March 10 – core updates: assorted MAINT fixes (download page, release notes)
  • Release channel cohorts (See my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • FmodEX Hotfix RC version 3.7.4.287875 released on March 11th – core updates: fix for a suspected thread race crasher in the FmodEx audio streaming library (download and release notes)
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V3-style

  • Firestorm updated to version 4.6.1.40478 on March 12th – core updates: many LL updates, incl HTTP & fitted mesh; many UI additions, multiple improvements and bug fixes – please refer to the release notes and my review here.

V1-style

  • Cool Viewer updated on March 15th to the following versions: Stable: 1.26.10.14; Experimental: 1.26.11.14; Legacy: 1.26.8.51 – core updates: all – backport of inventory updates / improvements; backport of potential gesture-related crash fix; backport of server alerts/notifications; Stable bug fix for a fitted mesh glitch;  Experimental: backport of the AISv3 API support  (release notes)

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No changes

Additional TPV Resources

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Of art and poetry and Surreal Effects

Surreal Effects, March 2014Surreal Effects – click for full size

I happened upon Surreal Effects quite by chance while poking at the Destination Guide.  This is the home for the gallery of Darius Damour (also known in-world as Raemus Nightfire), and offers visitors the opportunity to see (and buy, if they wish), his real-life photography reproduced in-world in a size suitable for viewing and for gracing any home, and to also enjoy some of his poetry while embarked on an elven boat ride around the edge of the region.

Surreal Effects
Surreal Effects – click for full size

From the arrival point, a cobbled path winds its way across an ethereal landscape, lit by a huge Moon and featuring standing stones, stone arches and giant fungi. Following the path will lead the visitor to little groups of Darius’ photography, displayed two or three pieces at a time, each piece framed and  accompanied by notes from the artist.

To say Darius’ photography is evocative would perhaps be an understatement. Each piece is a marvellous study – and I quite envy him his eye. The liner notes provide added depth to each piece, forming a window into the artist’s mind, allowing us to share both his feelings towards the pieces offered on display and a glimpse of the creative stirrings behind them.

The path eventually leads to a small dock where the visitor can continue their journey via elven boat, travelling around the island and passing a number of pieces of Darius’ poetry. These are framed and set against displays made up of one or more sculptures and other pieces from a number of different SL artists, which serve to illustrate each poem. Again, many of these are deeply evocative – I was particularly drawn to Asleep. Some are interactive, as with What has happened to human Kind? While one –  Alone – is somewhat darker in tone compared to the others, literally as well as figuratively…

Surreal Effects, March 2014Surreal Effects – click for full size

If any of the poems strike a chord with you, do please note that they are also on sale as framed pieces in the Poetry Shop, which can be found in the tree house on the small island across from the boat ride dock.

On Sunday March 16th at 13:00 SLT, the latest addition to the gallery opens. Wisdom’s Fortress is another interactive piece, which I personally think is beautifully conceived and executed, and the starting point for which lies alongside the elven boat dock.

Wisdom's Fortress ADVERT

“It is centred more around my writing, and set up in such a way of an ascension towards awareness, knowledge and wisdom,” Darius informed me when discussing the new piece. “It features quotes and poetry by myself – in both a journey and philosophical level.”

The ascension element of the new piece is quite literal – and somewhat magical. I don’t want to say too much about it, as that would spoil it, but I will say it involves a crystal stairway leading the way up to an island floating in the sky.

Surreal Effects, March 2014Surreal Effects – click for full size

The opening of Wisdom’s Fortress will include a raffle in which winners can select a favourite quote or poem from the exhibit as their prize.

When visiting the region, I do recommend using the default windlight for the perfect atmosphere (there is also a music stream available as well, should you choose to enable audio streaming).

As well as the gallery, the region offers places to hang-out (one up on a balloon floating over the region which is reached via a rope climb), and is also the home of the Anime-related Oktaku Paradise, reached via a teleport near the arrival point. As this requires all visitors to appear as an Anime-related avatar, and I don’t have anything remotely appropriate, I didn’t pay it a visit. However, should you , do read the Sim Code alongside the teleporter.

I regard Darius’ gallery as a real find. I’m already mulling over a couple of the pieces I’ve seen on display, and need to see how well I can reshuffle things at home in order for them to fit. If you enjoy evocative poetry and photography, this is most definitely a place to add to your list of galleries to visit. highly recommended.

Surreal Effects, March 2014Surreal Effects – click for full size

Related Links

Of travels to Switzerland and Ireland

It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in Voice, brought to Second Life by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library SL.

As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.

Sunday March 16th,13:30: Tea-time at Baker Street: The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax

Tea-time at Baker Street sees as Caledonia Skytower, Corwyn Allen and Kayden Oconnell reading stories from His Last Bow.

A 1917 anthology of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, His Last Bow originally comprised seven stories published byThe Strand Magazine between 1908 and 1917, but an eighth was added to later editions.

In this episode, Sherlock Holmes steps back from the spotlight as he dispatches John Watson to Lausanne, Switzerland, to investigate The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax.

Unwed, and denied what should be wealthy inheritance, Lady Fairfax is given to writing to her former governess every other week, wherever she may be – but for five weeks, nary a letter has been received, and fearing for her safety, the governess has contacted Sherlock Holmes.

Reaching his destination, Watson learns that Lady Carfax had been ensconced in the Hôtel International for several weeks prior to leaving suddenly, possibly the result of her being hounded by a large, bearded man. Watson also learns that Lady Carfax paid her maid a hefty £50.00 prior to the latter leaving her employ.

Thus the good doctor is faced with a series of riddles to solve: where did Lady Carfax go? Who was the bearded man and is he somehow involved in her disappearance? Why did she pay her maid so handsome a sum? And where did the maid go after leaving her employ?

Find out more by joining Caledonia, Corwyn and Kayden!

Monday 17th March, 19:00 – The Quiet Man

quiet-manReleased in 1952, John Ford’s The Quiet Man is regarded as a classic Irish-American romantic comedy / drama. Starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara (and assorted members of their RL families!) and Barry Fitzgerald, it is a popular choice among critics and film-lovers.

The screenplay for the film was drawn in a large part from a short story of the same name originally published in 1933 in the Saturday Evening Post, and penned by Irish author, Maurice Welsh. Together with a number of other short stories by Walsh, The Quiet Man was gathered into a single volume of his short stories, The Quiet Man and Other Stories, which dealt with many recurring characters living in rural Ireland of the 1920s, and set against the backdrop of the civil unrest which affected the country at that time, while examining the complexities and occasional intrigues of life, love and Irish traditions.

Join Caledonia Skytower as she reads Walsh’s original tale of The Quiet Man, Paddy Bawn Enright.

Tuesday March 18th, 19:00: The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

FairylandFaery Maven Pralou reads from Catherynne M. Valente’s tale about twelve-year-old September. Living in Omaha, she has a very ordinary life until her father goes to war and her mother goes. leaving her at home on her own.

One day, she is visited by a Green Wind who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland, where the new Marquess, of about the same age as September, is unpredictable and fickle.

This Green Wind tells September that only she can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t, then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. And so begins an extraordinary adventure, which sees September travelling through Fairyland, accompanied by a book-loving dragon, and a boy named Saturday …

Wednesday March 19th, 19:00: Tír na nÓg

Tir-Na-nogTír na nÓg (“Land of the Young”) is, in Irish folklore and mythology, one of the names of the “otherworld”, in part a supernatural realm of everlasting youth, beauty, health, abundance and joy. It is also the title of the first volume of Marni L.B. Troop’s The Heart of Ireland Journals.

In looks, the Faerie are folk little different to humans, other than their pointed ears, although they are vastly different in other ways, and Casey is a princess among them.

She is horrified when a stranger from Iberia arrives on the shores of Ireland, home of the Faerie, believing them to be the gods of his people, but the kings of the Faerie respond to his overtures by having him slaughtered.

Thus the Faerie kings bring down the vengeance of the Iberian people upon their own folk, and war comes to their land. Caught in the middle, and herself in love with an Iberian called Amergin, Casey tries to find a way to bring peace between the two peoples so that they might live together. Unfortunately for her and her beloved, things do not go as she had hoped.

Join Caladonia as she continues reading this intriguing faerie tale.

Thursday March 20th

16:00: Irish Tales

With Dubhna Rhiadra and Aoife Lorefield

19:00: Haunted Irish Tales

With Shandon Loring.

21:00: Seanchai Late Night

Details still TBA, so please check with the Seanchai Library blog as the week progresses.

—–

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for March and April is Project Children: building true and lasting peace in Northern Ireland one child at a time.

Related Links

SL projects updates 11/3: TPV developer meeting, March 14th

A TPV developer meeting took place on Friday March 14th. The core items discussed in the meeting are reported below, with timestamps in the relevant paragraphs indicating the point at they are discussed in the video embedded here. My thanks as always to North for the latter.

SL Viewer Updates

[0:01:37] The list of release candidates in the release channel remains unchanged from part two of this week’s projects updates, and as per my Current Viewer Releases page.

FmodEx RC

[0:01:44] The FmodEx Hotfix viewer RC (version 3.7.4.287875), is a fix Monty Linden has been working on, and is described by Oz Linden as:

A threading problem that at least manifests when there are various FmodEx things going on, but is not strictly speaking an FmodEx problem. We think that was a good and important fix, but it doesn’t seem to have done all we hoped it would do yet.

Whether or not this is a fix TPVs would need to implement quickly or not is down to how they have implemented FmodEx.

Voice RC

[0:02:38] The Voice RC is essentially the release viewer with the Vivox 4.6.x SLvoice plugin packaged with it for Windows and Mac. Commenting on in from a Mac perspective, Oz Linden indicated that it does appear to solve a number of issues, such as working with an iPhone headset adaptor, which was an issue with earlier versions, as well as addressing some Mavericks related issues.

[0:11:11] There has been some confusion over the latest SDK supplied by Vivox, in that only the Windows and Mac versions of 4.6.x have so far been supplied; the Linux version is still an older version. It’s unclear as to when the Linux Vivox SDK will be supplied, as this is apparently seen as a “lower priority” compared to Windows and Mac, although the Lab is working on Vivox to try to improve matters. The Lab is also working to try to get 64-bit versions of the Vivox SDK, which could then be made available to those TPVs building 64-bit versions of their viewers.

Interest List RC

[0:41:54] Concern is raised as the number of updates which form a part of the interest list RC viewer, and whether these may leave TPVs with another “CHUI situation” when trying to merge things.  The repository for the viewer has been available since the viewer reached RC status, however, Oz went on to comment:

There’s a bunch of refactoring of things that people decided needed refactoring as a part of the process [and] which may or may not have been strictly needed as [a] part of interest lists; that is, part of the functional change that that branch is doing. Some of it was a new trace capability that’s used in a bunch of places where they wanted to take the measurements they wanted to take about it.

The interest list RC is working its way towards release status ... slowly ...
The interest list RC is working its way towards release status … slowly …

There have been various stability issues with the interest list RC, hence why it has remained an RC rather than being promoted to the de facto release viewer. However, it is now reaching the point where its stability is comparable to that of the other RCs in the release channel – and is actually better than some.

In terms of merges, there is the potential for the interest list viewer to cause TPVs some problems, as there appear to be changes to llCommons and other libraries which are causing issues for those TPVs which have attempted a merge.

Google Breakpad

[0:04:53] The Google Breakpad RC is due to make another appearance, as a “bunch of issues have been wrestled to the ground”, and the hope is that when it does appear in the release channel, it will mark the last round of updates for that particular project, and those TPVs using Google Breakpad are advised to take a look at what the Lab has done.

Overall Status for RCs

[0:04:10] Overall, it appears as if none of the RCs are performing as well as the Lab would like them to be in terms of crash rates. It had been hoped that the FmodEx Hotfix RC would get the Lab back below what Oz referred to as “an acceptable, if not admirable, crash rate”, but it has not done so as yet.However, the other RCs in the channel should see updates released in week 12 (week commencing Monday March 17th), one or more of which may improve the crash rates.

[0:43:56] In terms of what does get promoted next, the most likely candidate will be the RC which shows clear evidence that it is reducing the crash rate compared to current levels across the release and RC viewers.

[0:05:27] In the meantime, because of the volume of RCs sitting in the release channel, the Lab are holding back a number of further RCs,. These include the Project Zipper (faster installer) viewer being updated to RC status, and the group ban viewer (although there are bugs in this which are still being worked upon). There is also likely to be a further Snowstorm RC appearing with a mix of code contributions, again once the number of viewers currently in the release channel is thinned-down a little.

Continue reading “SL projects updates 11/3: TPV developer meeting, March 14th”