Second Life

"Second Life" Parent Linden Lab Sued by Virtual Sex Items Maker

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 18, 2009 - 11:07am.
San Francisco - Linden Lab, operators of the "Second Life" virtual world, have been sued in federal court by a maker of adult-themed virtual items for copyright and trademark infringement, Wired.com reported.

Second Life Adds Real-World Trademark Law to Virtual World

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2009 - 8:25pm.
San Francisco - As real-world brands vie for a piece of its $450 million market for virtual goods, Linden Lab, the company that operates the "Second Life" online virtual world, has instituted new rules that prohibit the sale of counterfeit virtual items. "The goal of these guidelines is to provide clear guidance on listing practices that are not allowed because they can be misleading for shoppers and can lead to infringement of brand owners' intellectual property," wrote Pink Linden, Second Life's head of marketplaces.

"Second Life" Co-Creator Cory Ondrejka Leaving EMI

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 10, 2009 - 11:50am.
London - Cory Ondrejka, the co-founder of virtual world second life who joined major record label EMI as executive vice president of digital marketing, has announced that he is resigning, less than 18 months after joining the company. "Thanks EMI for a great year and a half, time to return to entrepreneurial roots, last day 21 Aug," Ondrejka wrote in a Twitter post. Ondrejka becomes the second new executive to leave EMI; former Google CIO Douglas Merrill left the company in March

"Second Life" Plans Separate 'Virtual Continent' for Adult Content

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 22, 2009 - 12:46pm.
San Francisco - Linden Lab plans later this year to introduce a separate "continent" within its virtual world, "Second Life," earmarked for adult content and adult-themed activities, CNET News.com reported. The site is already limited to those over the age of 18, but the new adult area will feature stricter age verification via credit card information, or Linden Labs' own filtering system.

TASER Sues Over Virtual Stun Guns in "Second Life"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 21, 2009 - 1:42pm.
Los Angeles - The makers of the TASER line of stun guns have filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Linden Lab, operators of the virtual world "Second Life," over the sale of virtual stun guns, GamePolitics reported. The suit also alleges damage to the TASER brand from association with virtual item sellers that also trade in virtual explicit images and virtual drugs.

Worlds.com to Sue Activision if Virtual World Patent Upheld

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 12, 2009 - 9:58am.
New York - Worlds.com, a developer of virtual worlds and holder of various patents on related technologies, said it plans to filed patent claims against "World of Warcraft" publisher Activision Blizzard (NASD: ATVI) and "Second Life" creator Linden Labs, should it succeed in a current case against NCsoft, Silicon Alley Insider reported.

Linden Lab Acquires Two Virtual Goods Marketplaces

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 21, 2009 - 8:37am.

San Francisco - Linden Lab, developer of the "Second Life" virtual world, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired two Web-based marketplaces for virtual goods, Xstreet SL and OnRez.

Universal, Verbinski to Produce Movie Based on "Second Life"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on December 19, 2008 - 12:59pm.

Los Angeles - Universal Studios and director Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean," "The Ring") have acquired the rights to a 2007 Wall Street Journal article about the online virtual world "Second Life," Variety reports. The article centered on the detrimental effect that hours spent in the virtual world had on the real life of a 53-year-old man and his family. Verbinski is also slated to direct a film version of the game "Bioshock" for Universal.

Second Life Musician Gets Real-World Recording Contract

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 13, 2008 - 11:39am.

San Francisco - Reality Entertainment, an independent record label whose artists include KC and the Sunshine Band, Marcy Playground and Krokus, has signed what it says is the first record deal given to a performer in the virtual world "Second Life," Wired.com reported. Blues artist Von Johin plays and records music outside of the virtual world, but it was his weekly performances in Second Life that attracted the attention of Reality. "Von, as an avatar, will play all his shows in Second Life, and they'll continue to be free," a Reality publicist told Wired. "As for touring, Von is already playing a fully booked schedule, but Reality is planning a big in-world event in addition to that."

Google Debuts "Lively" Free Virtual World Application

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 9, 2008 - 9:36am.

Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) has introduced a new free virtual world application, "Lively," which -- much like similar services such as "Second Life" -- allows users to create and accessorize avatars and buildings within the virtual environment.

Linden Lab, IBM "Teleport" Avatars Between Virtual Worlds

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 8, 2008 - 11:46am.

New York - Linden Lab, creators of the "Second Life" virtual world, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced on Tuesday a successful test of virtual world interoperability, during which avatars were "teleported" between the Second Life Preview Grid and an OpenSim virtual world server. An open standard for interoperability would allow users to cross freely from one world to another in a seamless transfer, just as they can go from one website to another on the Internet today, the companies said.

EMI Names "Second Life" Creator SVP of Digital Strategy

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 9, 2008 - 12:28pm.

London - Major record label EMI Music announced on Monday that it has appointed Cory Ondrejka, co-founder of "Second Life" creators Linden Lab, to the new position of senior vice president of digital strategy. "Cory shares my passion for driving technology and innovation in the digital music business," said Douglas Merrill, president of EMI's digital business. "His unique experience building online environments, like Second Life, will be invaluable to EMI Music, as we create new digital communities for fans and artists."

Vollee Launches Mobile Version of "Second Life"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 3, 2008 - 12:40pm.

Redwood City, Calif. - Vollee, a service that offers PC applications on mobile devices by streaming them over 3G networks, on Tuesday announced the beta release of its mobile application for Linden Lab's "Second Life" virtual world. The application allows anyone with a qualified 3G or Wi-Fi handset to login to the virtual world using their existing Second Life accounts.

Linden Lab Names Mark Kingdon as New CEO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 23, 2008 - 11:13am.

San Francisco - Linden Lab, the developer of 3D virtual world Second Life, has named Mark Kingdon as its new CEO, replacing company founder Philip Rosedale, who will remain chairman. Since 2001, Kingdon has served as the CEO of Organic Inc., a digital communications agency. Prior to that, he had been a partner with the consulting division of PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Our search for the leader of Linden Lab demanded both tremendous business skills and a deep understanding and passion for Second Life and where it is going," said Rosedale. Kingdon will officially assume the role on May 15.

IBM, Linden Lab to Offer Custom Virtual Worlds for Businesses

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 3, 2008 - 11:36am.

New York - IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Linden Lab, creator of the "Second Life" online virtual world, announced on Thursday that they will collaborate on the development of "enterprise solutions for security-rich, custom virtual world creation and collaboration" on the Second Life Grid platform. The platform allows organizations to create a public or private virtual environment using Linden Lab's 3D online virtual world technology.

"Second Life" Avatars Attend House Hearing on Virtual Worlds

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 2, 2008 - 12:47pm.

Washington - An information hearing on virtual worlds before a U.S. House subcommittee was attended by both "Second Life" founder Philip Rosedale and a number of avatars who appeared on a video screen in the hearing room, Reuters reported. "It is likely that virtual world activities are somewhat more policeable and the law somewhat more maintainable within virtual worlds," Rosedale said, asserting that government intervention is not needed. "The virtual world has a degree of accountability...and traceability, which actually in many ways is better than the real world."

Report: Linden Lab CEO Rosedale plans to step down

Authored by Jay Baage on March 14, 2008 - 11:00am.

San Francisco - Linden Lab, maker of the online virtual world Second Life, is looking for someone to fill founder and chief executive Philip Rosedale’s shoes as he will step down, according to Reuters.

Vollee to Offer Mobile Version of "Second Life" for 3G Phones

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 19, 2008 - 1:23pm.

San Francisco - Vollee, the developer of an application that can stream console-quality video games to 3G mobile phones, announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Linden Lab to offer a mobile version of its Second Life 3D virtual world. Beta trials for the Second Life Grid platform are now open for pre-registration, and are expected to commence in May. Vollee's other publisher partners include Activision and Codemasters.

Virtual World Second Life Bans Unregulated Banking

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 10, 2008 - 7:53am.

San Francisco - Linden Labs, operator of the online virtual world Second Life, has instituted a ban on unregulated banking in the wake of the dissolution of an in-game bank which saw investors lose the equivalent of $750,000, Wired.com reported.