artists_beware | Heads-up!

Wow, Second Life. What a chance to rip people off, as we were just discussing Second Life in another post! But this time it takes a turn.

There is a girl re-selling furry artwork on Second Life, she says she "has been doing this for some time now." I asked if she'd gotten permission from the artists, and she said no she hadn't, it's okay because she's not doing it for real money, etc. She told me I'm the first person to point out to her that it might be a good idea to get permission before re-posting images.

I'd been uploading some of my own clothing to one of the "marketplaces" known as Second Life Exchange when I came across some furry art being "featured" on the main page. A little red flag went up when I recognized one of the characters in one of the drawings as belonging to

tanidareal - in fact, it was a drawing done by her, upon closer inspection.

Anyhow, here is a link to the girl's "stuff for sale." If any of you guys have art there, or recognize art there, you may want to contact her, or contact the original artists to be sure she's obtained permission. I somehow doubt she'll go through with contacting artists to find out if it's okay if she sells their art in this game.

(Also, for those of you that don't know much about Second Life, please realize that even though she's doing it for "in-game money," money on Second Life can be converted to money in real life. Whether or not she actually ever makes enough OR converts it can't be certain, but there still is possibility for her to make money - albeit a miniscule amount - off of other peoples' artwork. Adding a nice "frame" and the words SAMPLE across the top don't make it yours.)

Just figured I'd toss it out there for everyone to chew on. I know there've been debates about people uploading someone else's artwork to show a friend, but I think it changes when people can actually profit somehow from it.