There have been a number of copyright infringement suits in Second Life everything from a designers clothing copyright case to a crackdown on music piracy.

Most recently the estate of Frank Herbert the author of Dune sent a cease and desist notice through Linden Lab to a role playing community in Second Life. The community owner Vooper Werribee complied and removed all names and objects that were Dune-related. The virtual sim is still there and has simply been made more generic while maintaining the overall theme. Over one hundred and thirty members of the community battle sandworms and mine spice.

Learn from the Mistakes of the RIAA and Associated Press and Stop Attacking Your Fans

Why is it that these estates and big companies are so out of touch with their fans? They should learn from the mistakes of the RIAA and the Associated Press which relentlessly attack their fans and users destroying any future relationships and damaging their image. The old ways are gone and dead and it is time for these businesses to adapt or to slowly die off.

Video of the Dune Role-playing Sim in Second Life

Wouldn’t it have been better to embrace this virtual community of Dune fans and find some way to profit from these loyal fans? Instead how many will leave or abandon their long standing passion for Frank Herbert’s Dune? How many have already stopped buying music or listening to music and how many no longer buy or read newspapers?