Linden Lab Official:Terms of Service FAQ

What is Linden Lab announcing?

We are announcing an update to our Second Life Terms of Service.

Why did Linden Lab change the Terms of Service?

We have updated the Terms of Service to consolidate our policies and more appropriately and specifically reflect the nature of Second Life and our relationships. As our community and Second Life itself changes and evolves, so must the basic rules that govern Second Life.

What’s new in the Terms of Service?

Some of the changes to the Terms of Service are the:

• Snapshot and Machinima Policy
• Service and Content Licenses, including:
  • Linden Dollar License
  • Virtual Land License
  • Service Content License
  • User Content License
• Additional Terms and Policies

For more on these changes, please visit M Linden’s blog post on the Updated Second Life Terms of Service.

Where can I find the updated Terms of Service?

We encourage all Residents to become familiar with the complete set of new policies published here.

When does the updated Terms of Service go into effect?

The update goes into effect for existing Residents a month from now, on April 30, 2010. For new Residents who create their accounts beginning today, the update goes into effect immediately.

Do I retain intellectual property rights in content I create in Second Life?

Yes, you retain the intellectual property rights you already have in content you submit to Second Life. This is in Section 7.1 of the Terms of Service.

What is Linden Lab allowed to do with the content that I submit to Second Life?

To enable us to provide the Second Life experience to you, we need to be allowed to “use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform” content in Second Life, and you grant us a license to do so. We refer to that as the Service Content License and it is “solely for the purposes of providing and promoting” Second Life. You remain the intellectual property owner of any content you submit to Second Life – it is your content, not Linden Lab’s.

What is the content license that I grant to other Residents?

When you submit content to publicly accessible areas of Second Life, you allow other Residents to access that content and grant them a license to do so. That’s because other Residents can see it and display it. We refer to that as the User Content License, and it allows them to “use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform” your content “solely as permitted by you through your interactions with” Second Life. Your interactions include your use of the Second Life permissions system. The User Content License reflects how our content creators are using the permissions system.

Does the User Content License mean that I must grant other Residents the right to copy my content?

No, the User Content License does not require you to allow other Residents to copy your content. You may allow them to do so by setting the permissions settings for each in-world item you create to indicate your intent regarding its copy, transfer or modification.

When I delete copies of my content from Second Life, what happens to the content licenses for this content?

When you delete your content that you have displayed in Second Life or that is in your inventory, the content licenses terminate - but only for the particular copies that you delete (with certain limitations). If you have transferred copies to other users, the license you grant them continues, as well as for any snapshots or machinima that was captured while your content was displayed in-world. Finally, Linden Lab may retain any server copies it has of the content, including copies stored for its back-up, debugging, and testing procedures.

Why did Linden Lab add the Snapshot and Machinima Policy?

When asked for our written permission to use snapshots and capture machinima, we always gladly provided it. This policy conveys the support we’ve had all along for Second Life snapshots and machinima.

What is the Snapshot and Machinima Content License?

This policy promotes the amazing creativity of our community’s artists who are taking snapshots and making machinima in Second Life. This policy gives artists copyright permissions from Linden Lab and the Second Life community to make the incredible works that we all enjoy.

Whose permission do I need to get in order to take a snapshot?

If you wish to take a snapshot of content on another Resident’s land, check whether the covenant for the land prohibits snapshots. If it does, then you need special permission from the land owner to take the snapshot. If it allows snapshots or doesn’t address them, then you do not need special permission from the land owner as long as you comply with any terms that may be in the covenant.

You may also need other permissions if the snapshot uses intellectual property other than the 3D content of Residents or Linden Lab that is displayed in-world. For example, if the snapshot uses a trademark, then you may need permission from the trademark owner.

Whose permission do I need to get in order to make machinima?

If you wish to make machinima on another Resident’s land, check whether the covenant for the land allows machinima. If it does not or doesn’t address machinima, then you need special permission from the land owner to capture machinima. If it allows machinima, then you do not need special permission from the land owner as long as you comply with any terms that may be in the covenant. For machinima, you must also have the consent of all Residents whose avatars or Second Life names are featured or recognizable in the machinima.

Finally, you may also need other permissions if the machinima uses intellectual property other than the 3D content of Residents or Linden Lab that is displayed in-world. For example, if the machinima uses a trademark or music streamed in-world, then you may need permission from those intellectual property owners.

Are the rules the same for Zindra as they are on the Mainland?

Yes, the same requirements apply to snapshots and machinima captured on the Mainland and the Zindra continent.

I do not want content on my land to be filmed. What can I do?

If you are the estate owner, you may prohibit filming on your land in the covenant to you land. If you are a parcel or region owner, check the covenant to your land. Unless the covenant allows machinima, your permission is required for any filming on your land.

When does the Snapshot and Machinima Policy go into effect?

The Snapshot and Machinima Policy goes into effect on April 30, 2010.

I have a question about the updated Terms of Service that is not answered here. What should I do?

Please post any questions you have that are not answered here in the forum. We will be updating these FAQs over time to answer more of your questions.