Updates on the Second Life Art wiki
December 19, 2007Due to some trademark violations, SLartpedia’s name has been changed to VirtualArtpedia, and the domain has been moved to http://virtualartpedia.wiki-site.com. Please adjust your bookmarks accordingly.
ArtWorld Market, owner of “SLART” magazine, approached me a couple of weeks ago and informed me that the name was infringing upon his trademarks. Sure enough, he owns the trademarkss to SLART, which is fine. As an artist in my First Life and a promoter of the arts in my Second, I fully understand and respect that someone who establishes a trademark on something–whatever it is– needs to protect them tooth and nail.
ArtWorld has stated that he likes where the wiki is going, and has proposed a licensing agreement. Generous as the agreement was, I have decided to decline. It is my opinion that wikis should remain in the public domain, as they would be nothing without the people who are generous enough to contribute.
That said, VirtualArtpedia is open to collaborating with any art group in Second Life in terms of mutual promotion. What would Second Life’s art community be without collaboration amongst peers, after all?
[...] Richard Minsky also talked in this greedy, egoistic and arrogant way to a friend of mine, Ganymedes Costagravas and made a row over a few ‘SLart’ mentionings in his profile. But kindly said SL art and sl-art are allowed. This conversation you can find at ‘art of making money of SLart‘. Also Cyanide Seelowe got a ‘cease and desist’ IM conversation or e-mail on the SLart wiki. That is right, Minsky thinks also open-source non profit initiatives should die because he likes to make money of the SLart word that much. Sadly enough, Miss Seelowe has given in to Minsky’s threats. [...]
[...] Market/Richard Minsky’s trademark on the term SLart. People who read this blog will know that I’ve spoken with Minsky on the subject and that I’m one of the victims of his trademark [...]