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The fall season of the popular in-world metaverse business and policy show Metanomics kicks off in Second Life on Monday, September 22, at 12:00 (noon) Pacific with a special edition of Metanomics featuring the show’s usual host, Professor Robert Bloomfield of Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management, in the guest chair.

I am honored to have been asked to interview Robert live on this show.  I will be asking Robert about his experiences producing the first year of Metanomics, his view of the future of the metaverse, his favorite moments over the last year, criticism of the show, and much more.  The show will be a mixed reality event, with Robert appearing both in Second Life (as ‘Beyers Sellers’) and live at Roskilde University in Denmark where Robert is visiting as a guest researcher this week as part of Roskilde’s ongoing projects on metaverse innovation.

Metanomics is typically produced in Second Life, though has been “broadcast” from other virtual worlds.  You can learn more about the show at metanomics.net, and can catch up on old episodes at SLCN.tv.

[Update: If you can't log in to Second Life at noon Pacific on Monday, you can watch the video feed and participate in chat via the web.]

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We periodically run “Virtual Law Quicklinks” whenever we have a backlog of interesting items that aren’t big enough for full posts. Here’s today’s batch.

  • Eros, the virtual adult-animation company owned by Second Life’s ‘Stroker Serpentine,’ has secured registration for the “SexGen” trademark.  Eros has been at the center of two lawsuits over in-world copyright and trademark infringement, and this move will enhance the company’s ability to police use of the trademark in the virtual world in the future.  Thanks to Second Life’s ‘Erica Dalglish’ for the heads-up.
  • Raph Koster announced that the Terms of Service for Metaplace will be based on his oft-cited “A Declaration of the Rights of Avatars” (which he graciously granted permission to reprint as an appendix of Virtual Law).  The draft terms on Raph’s site need some work if they’re going to be enforceable, and it may prove hard for Metaplace to stick to its guns on a few of the more player-friendly terms when questions of liability start popping up, but the move is impressive, and is sure to attract some users.
  • Terra Nova is running a post from Professor Josuha Fairfield about a symposium on the regulation of kids worlds October 3 in Lexington, Virginia.  The symposium features around a dozen professors and researchers, and is free to attend.   Registration is here.
  • Finally, according to an article at SLNN, there’s trouble over at Central Grid (an OpenSimulator-based virtual world) and someone is threatening a lawsuit against Frank Corsi (better known as ‘Jasper Tizzy,’ formerly of Second Life, where allegations also flew).  I can’t even begin to tell what’s going on here (which is typical in this sort of thing, and why I don’t usually cover claims like this) but the potential plaintiff does have an attorney (Bob Brackman, the subject of an earlier article), so it’s worth a skeptical link.  I’ll cover it in more detail if it turns into anything.  Thanks to Second Life’s ‘Doubledown Tandino‘ for the link.

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Several key trademark applications for Second Life creator Linden Lab will be published for opposition over the next month.  Applications slated to enter this phase include those for the marks:

Linden Lab has applications entering this phase for two logos (pictured right and below) as well.

Linden Lab also has an application entering this phase on the name “SECOND LIFE” but has previously registered the name, and this application appears to merely expand the categories of goods and services for which the mark is registered.

“Publication for opposition” means that these trademark applications have emerged from the internal USPTO process and will be registered as trademarks if there is no opposition, or if any opposition is overcome.  The USPTO explains: “An opposition is a proceeding in which one party is seeking to prevent registration of another party’s trademark. Under the law, if a party believes that he will be damaged by the registration of a mark, he can file an opposition.”   Oppositions are heard by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

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Opening a second front in its dispute over “SLART” with artist and “SLART” trademark registrant Richard Minsky, Second Life creator Linden Lab has filed a Petition for Cancellation (.pdf) with the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeals Board seeking to cancel registration of “SLART.”  Minsky has filed an Answer (.pdf).  Trial (which, at the TTAB, is largely conducted by written submissions) is set for summer and fall, 2009.

Linden Lab’s core argument is that Minsky made a series of misrepresentations to the USPTO in order to secure registration of the mark and so Minsky “is not entitled to Registration No. 3399258 because [he] committed fraud in the procurement of the subject registration.”  Minsky denies these claims, and further argues that “after more than four years of widespread use of SL as a generic descriptive term, [Linden Lab] had no rights in the mark SL.”

Minsky’s attorney in this action is Tamiko Franklin (Second Life’s ‘Juris Amat’), who was featured on this site earlier this year when she founded the non-profit Virtual Intellectual Property Organization, and again last month when she was elected to the Executive Board of the SL Bar Association.  Linden Lab is represented by Bobby A. Ghajar and James R. Cady, of Howrey LLP.

Excerpts from Linden Lab’s Petition and Minsky’s Answer follow.

Read the rest of the post »

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