The main problem is that over the years such content has become the main content in all Opensim grids. The truth is that there are very few original creators in Opensim. This is often attributed to the lack of a stable economic system, weak content protection, and the fragility of the grids themselves in OpenSim. Hundreds of grids appear and disappear every month. Users come and go. No user is immune from losing their inventory along with the grid collapsing. Opensim worlds are unstable. Users are used to easily parting with their content in such cases. There is always the opportunity to start life from scratch and collect a large collection of free materials again. In such conditions, few people want to spend money on the purchase of anything. There are also a thousand other reasons why creators don't come to work at Opensim. This nevertheless does not change the severity of the problem of «copybot». As practice has shown the fight against a “copybot” is useless. Many tried to remove it, ban it, but it turned out to be completely impossible to eradicate it.

You all know that the Sacrarium is making significant efforts to resolve this issue. And it's not just words. Sacrarium understands that it is impossible to completely get rid of what is the main and integral part. Sacrarium grid has completely changed its access policy to prevent illegal distribution of such content in Opensim. If the problem cannot be solved completely, then it can be controlled, trying to minimize any possible damage and respect the rights and interests of users and creators. Over time, more and more grids join the Sacrarium position. Together we managed to significantly limit the distribution of any content. Individual users of the hypergrid are still trying to illegally obtain Sacrarium content and break the rules. Now they have to invent ridiculous and pathetic ways to steal Sacrarium content. They are trying to find vulnerabilities and loopholes using the grids of our partners. They are terribly annoyed that there are fewer and fewer weak spots, thanks to the efforts of partner grids. It can be assumed that it is difficult for such people to live in the modern world and constantly have to jump over the turnstile and enter the building through the window leaf. The only legal way to get into the Sacrarium is by using services of grids that have a valid access subscription. Sacrarium and partners have become the most secure grids in the entire Opensim metaverse today. The“Wild West”  time is coming to an end now and the priority today is the safety of users and their content.

On this topic, we talked with the founder of the Sacrarium, WhiteAngel Deed. We were interested to know his opinion on how the new rules were accepted in the community.

“We noticed that the decision of Sacrarium and partners is causing a lot of resentment from some people in the hypergrid.  Sacrarium looks at this reaction indifferently, realizing that it has every right to independently determine its own policy, like any other grids. We are not obliged to please them all, fulfilling other people's whims. The only people whose interests matter are Sacrarium users and  users of our partner’s grids”- WhiteAngel said.

What will be the next step in the development of this strategy?

“As for the next steps, that's exactly why I invited you today. I thought a lot about making Opensim a really nice and safe place. We've really reduced content distribution as much as possible. Everything would be much easier if the entire OpenSim community would take this problem seriously. But most can only speak. The problem of a copybot for them is just an excuse to throw mud at each other. Me and my team are no longer interested in these battles in the mud. Today we are in the most productive position, trying to solve a problem that is more than ten years old. Yes, the distribution problem has been solved for today. I do not take individual cases of leakage. We and our partners are doing everything possible to prevent them. The Sacrarium content is unique to OpenSim and must be protected to remain unique in the future. However, there is a problem that has not previously been the focus of discussion. Whatever the content, in any case, its use must be governed by some kind of license. It's very easy to call any content "copybot". It doesn't solve the problem. There are many different sources of content. It is very important that users have information about the origin of the content, have the rights to use it and be responsible for compliance with the rules of use and distribution. Each facility must have an official license that describes all the details, rights and obligations of all parties. I turned to lawyers for advice and they recommended making a similar document. From a legal point of view, everything that happens in Opensim is a medieval nightmare. But the nature of OpenSim is such that there is no legal basis for understanding any Grid as a subject of legal activity. Typically, most grids do not have legal registration as a company or enterprise. All users are anonymous and no one bears any responsibility. Any grid can simply disappear at any moment and there is no point in arguing with litigation. The costs of legal proceedings will many times exceed the rationality of attempting legal regulation. However, a license agreement must be in place to govern the relationship between the user and the content.

Today I want to present you a “Sacrarium Unknown Content Agreement”. We draft a conditional agreement for any content whose origin cannot be unambiguously determined. This document will protect the rights of creators and users. I encourage all Sacrarium creators to use this agreement whenever appropriate. If you are not sure about the origin of an object or its parts, then just add this agreement inside your stuff. Let everyone bear their share of responsibility honestly and openly. You can just copy\paste it into notice inside your stuff”.

So, there is a full text of this agreement we will post here:

Sacrarium Unknown Content Agreement

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2022 (v.1.0)

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Preamble

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Much of the content in Opensim has been imported from a variety of sources, including various stocks, video games, Second Life, and other sources (paid, free, and proprietary etc.). In many cases, it is not possible to reliably establish the authorship of an object. This object is classified as "Unknown Authorship" and “Trial product version”. With a high probability this object could have been imported from Second Life or another proprietary source. All such objects may be used for personal, informational and educational purposes only. Please, if you like this product and you know its original creator be sure to purchase a licensed copy.

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Agreement

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If you continue to use this product, then you unconditionally accept all the terms of this agreement without any exception:

1. You fully accept personal responsibility for the non-distribution of this content.
2. You fully guarantee the preservation of the original permissions such as:

-Modify (No)

-Copy (Yes)

-Transfer (No)

3. If you become aware that this object is a "copybot" you MUST purchase the original licensed product from its developer or stop use "copybot" immediately.
4. You warrant that you will use this product for personal, informational and educational purposes only.
5. You will not attempt to sell this item for game or real currency. You warrant that you will not use this content for any profit.
6. You may not redistribute this object in other freebie stores.
7. You may not export this product to Second Life and use it there in any way. This object can only be used in Opensim subject to all the terms of this agreement.
8. You warrant that the agreement is in the inventory of this object. Please, do not remove this agreement from content. Removal of this agreement will mean forfeiting your right to use the content.
9. You also agree to remove the content from your grid at the first request of the copyright holders (DMCA) if it is necessary.

Many of our users are already paying their own money to purchase objects from various sources. The last thing we can do for now is encourage other users to do the same for support original developers. We are confident that this will make a significant contribution to improving the way users feel about the content they use. We are optimistic about the future and hope that someday the virtual worlds of Opensim will find harmony and order. We still hope that people will begin to listen and respect each other.

Murzilla Potapov

special for

Voice of Sacrarium