[Eugene Volokh, January 31, 2007 at 5:25pm] Trackbacks
Get a First Life:

A funny Web site ("First Life is a 3D analog world where server lag does not exist" / "Fornicate using your actual genitals"), with an amusing response purporting to be from the Second Life people in the "Comments or cease and desist letters?" page.

Thanks to John Burgess (Crossroads Arabia) for the pointer.

PDXLawyer (mail):
I was *very* impressed by the purported Second Life response. Like EV, though, I can't verify if it is real. Second Life doesn't seem to provide an easy method of communicating with its real corporate personnel. This is, perhaps understandable because responding to communications from enthusiastic gamers could get expensive. Can anyone verify this?

As a practicing lawyer, I'm often frustrated by the reality that legal advice is subject to something like Gresham's Law. When the client has a weak legal position, bad advice (being more welcome) drives out good advice. This is particularly true in the fields of trademark and copyright law advice to large corporate entities, provided generally by large law firms. Unfortunately, this sort of enviromnemt breeds a very skewed view of common sense and risk. It is doubly unfortunate that these sectors seem to have the most contact with Congress when it seeks "expert" advice.

So, if this purported post from Second Life (an undoubtedly legitimate enterprise providing a popular service) is genuine, you could do a service to the public by verifying it on this respectable blog.
1.31.2007 8:54pm
BobVDV (mail):
Ginsu Yoon is a very clever guy. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer confirms the story from a Linden Labs spokesperson, quoting from the letter:

Linden Lab objects to any implication that it would employ lawyers incapable of distinguishing such obvious parody," Yoon wrote. "Linden Lab is well-known for having strict hiring standards, including a requirement for having a sense of humor, from which our lawyers receive no exception.


Seattle P-I story
1.31.2007 9:13pm
Dave Hardy (mail) (www):
As a practicing lawyer, I'm often frustrated by the reality that legal advice is subject to something like Gresham's Law. When the client has a weak legal position, bad advice (being more welcome) drives out good advice. This is particularly true in the fields of trademark and copyright law advice to large corporate entities, provided generally by large law firms.

Not just those fields. : (
1.31.2007 9:17pm
Sean M:
A brilliant response by Linden Labs. It is, to my law geek mind, even funnier than the original send-up.

It gets the benefit of being legally correct, insightful, and makes them good sports.

If only more counsel realized they are more than mindless litigators. They are also business advisers, and hats off to Yoon for realizing this wasn't just a good legal decision, but a good business decision.
1.31.2007 9:37pm
Gene Hoffman (mail) (www):
Mr. Yoon is a personal friend and it reads quite like something he would write. I think folks should safely assume that it is bona fide.

-Gene
2.1.2007 3:29am
speedwell (mail):
If my Second Life avatar ever dies, does its soul go to an afterSecondLife?

Just askin'.
2.1.2007 12:04pm
Avatar (mail):
Depends on its religion, Speed. If it's a nihilist, it gets routed to /dev/null. If it believes in reincarnation, its drive sector will get overwritten by another character's data...
2.1.2007 12:21pm
Jack (mail) (www):
"Why can't I build a dirigible with my mind?" Would that be this dirigible by any chance? (Ctrl-F to search for "zeppelin".) Or am I just geeking out?
2.1.2007 10:57pm