25 November 2008
The names Richard Minsky and Victor Vezina may not mean much to you, but to the Second Life community they could dictate the future of virtual life. In the past Second Life has been a form of escapism, a virtual world where 'normal people' can escape the daily churn of the real world and enjoy life in a virtual utopia. However, it now seems that Second Life is becoming a little too much like real life.
It all started when news of a divorce case fuelled by 'virtual cheating' hit the headlines worldwide. Now Second Life is back in the headlines again, this time over a trademark infringement regarding the term 'Slart'.
Slart, for those of us not in the virtual loop, now refers to Second Life art, the designs and creations showcased at the numerous art galleries in the virtual world. Art in the Second Life has picked up a huge following with many avatars (characters) attending exhibitions, purchasing art and discussing it with their fellow avatars. Slart however, is also the trademarked term for SLART, a Second Life art magazine and website owned by founder Richard Minsky.
Who is Richard Minsky? Minsky is the founder of 'The Center for BookArts in New York as well as the owner of the magazine SLART. A huge fan of second life art, Minsky started a blog and website known as SLART which was published as an art critic's review of art in the Second Life.
Not a lot is known about his counterpart Victor Vezina. In fact that's not even his real name. His avatar profile describes him as an "ageing rockr, into writing, blogging, walking, talking, flickring, secondlifing, painting, photographing and surfing." Vezina is also a fan of Second Life art and early in 2007, he launched an art gallery named 'SLart'. Now, the mysterious Vezina may be the subject of a trademark infringement case, along with SL founding company Linden Labs and a few other fictional people who have uttered trademark blasphemies.
If Minsky were to win this court case, it would effectively see Second Life become a playground for lawyers and now doubt a lot more words prefixed with SL making it into our daily vocabulary.
Minsky's greatest achievement is not the start-up of a website or print magazine, but coining a phrase and trademarking it. In fact Minsky has trademarked every variation of the term Slart, from SLArt to slart, though SL-Art and SL Art are not covered by this. In hindsight, the easiest solution for the Second Life community would be to create a new buzz-word for Second Life art and use that instead. Unfortunately though, they took to their blogs and websites and effectively made the phrase 'Slart' completely synonymous with Second Life art.
It looks like we will have to wait a few months to see how this latest Second Life saga ends. After scanning the blogosphere it doesn't look like Minsky has made many fans, but there are sure to be many lawyers on the edge of their seats until the outcome of the case is revealed.
Slart could spell the future of Second Life
The names Richard Minsky and Victor Vezina may not mean much to you, but to the Second Life community they could dictate the future of virtual life. In the past Second Life has been a form of escapism, a virtual world where 'normal people' can escape the daily churn of the real world and enjoy life in a virtual utopia. However, it now seems that Second Life is becoming a little too much like real life.It all started when news of a divorce case fuelled by 'virtual cheating' hit the headlines worldwide. Now Second Life is back in the headlines again, this time over a trademark infringement regarding the term 'Slart'.
Slart, for those of us not in the virtual loop, now refers to Second Life art, the designs and creations showcased at the numerous art galleries in the virtual world. Art in the Second Life has picked up a huge following with many avatars (characters) attending exhibitions, purchasing art and discussing it with their fellow avatars. Slart however, is also the trademarked term for SLART, a Second Life art magazine and website owned by founder Richard Minsky.
Who is Richard Minsky? Minsky is the founder of 'The Center for BookArts in New York as well as the owner of the magazine SLART. A huge fan of second life art, Minsky started a blog and website known as SLART which was published as an art critic's review of art in the Second Life.
Not a lot is known about his counterpart Victor Vezina. In fact that's not even his real name. His avatar profile describes him as an "ageing rockr, into writing, blogging, walking, talking, flickring, secondlifing, painting, photographing and surfing." Vezina is also a fan of Second Life art and early in 2007, he launched an art gallery named 'SLart'. Now, the mysterious Vezina may be the subject of a trademark infringement case, along with SL founding company Linden Labs and a few other fictional people who have uttered trademark blasphemies.
If Minsky were to win this court case, it would effectively see Second Life become a playground for lawyers and now doubt a lot more words prefixed with SL making it into our daily vocabulary.
Minsky's greatest achievement is not the start-up of a website or print magazine, but coining a phrase and trademarking it. In fact Minsky has trademarked every variation of the term Slart, from SLArt to slart, though SL-Art and SL Art are not covered by this. In hindsight, the easiest solution for the Second Life community would be to create a new buzz-word for Second Life art and use that instead. Unfortunately though, they took to their blogs and websites and effectively made the phrase 'Slart' completely synonymous with Second Life art.
It looks like we will have to wait a few months to see how this latest Second Life saga ends. After scanning the blogosphere it doesn't look like Minsky has made many fans, but there are sure to be many lawyers on the edge of their seats until the outcome of the case is revealed.
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