This week's offering is a sweet and saucy babydoll dress with a rose pattern and sculpt skirt and prim pearl buttons in back. It's in a color exclusively available this week only for 50L friday. TP there now.

Frustration, Theft, and Communication Issues

A few days ago, Hybrid Ansar alerted me to a suspcious avatar by the name of Medussa Neutron. This person had ripped off a few people, including Hybrid's friend Ikaru Aichi. What's worse is that this person had done this under other accounts previously and when caught, just created Medussa to continue with their theft. When I looked at the pictures of the item in question and Medussa's Xstreet listings, it was clear to me that she had indeed stolen the texture from my Tease corsets and used them in her own designs. My corset was 100% hand drawn and all of the details lined up perfectly with Medusa's corset: wrinkles, hooks, boning. When I logged onto SL today, Hybrid asked me if I had filed a DMCA yet because Ikaru had been IP banned and they believed it was as a result of retaliation against Ikaru for filing the DMCA. Hybrid asked me to put in a good word for Ikaru and mention my experience and I offered to do so as a courtesy.
My problem is just how do I go about communicating with LL about this issue? I can not file an Abuse Report about the theft because Medussa is no longer listed in search and that is a requirement for an AR, I can not file a DMCA on an account that no longer exists about items no longer available on Xstreet, I can't file a ticket because my issue does not fit into any of the categories and an incorrect listing will be ignored, I do not have a premium account so I can't file under avatar issue, and the 800 number is for billing issues only. If there is another avenue of communication with LL, I'd appreciate it if someone let me know.
All I can do right now is show you all the pictures and ask you to keep an eye out for this person's work in the future since they are a repeat offender.

Dead Beauty Corset


5th & Oxford Corset


Composite

Poll Results and Clarification

Thank you so much everyone for weighing in on this decision. I've posted the results below and as you can see, the crochet dress has one by a large margin so that's the next design I will be working on.
crochet sheer mini 49%
ditsy print dress 11%
rose babydoll 20%
striped top/skirt combo 20%

So, that means next design is the...



Crochet Mini





Now that this is out of the way, I'd like to address something else. It came to my attention yesterday that there was a misunderstanding about my creative process, specifically, in relation to this poll. Some people were under the impression that I would be copying the design exactly and/or photosourcing it. When I created my poll/last blog, I assumed that everyone who reads my blog and plurk are friends and/or customers and as such, are familiar with how I work. Since I've learned this is not the case, let me explain my process to you all.

The majority of the time when I begin a new project, I look at magazines, blogs, etc, to draw inspiration from. Often, I have some theme/look in mind and assemble a variety of items on an inspiration board and draw a bit from each one. On some occasions (like this one) I'm at a total loss and I poll folks in plurk and randomly pull images that appeal to me and then systematically narrow it down to whatever I think will work best in sl and be most appealing. I do not sketch because I can't draw anything better than a stick figure. In fact, I don't 'draw' my textures. I create my clothing by making a series of selections and shapes and using various tools to achieve the effect I am looking for. Even when basing a design off of just 1 image, I still like to alter the look to suit both SL and my own personal taste. I NEVER do exact replicas of rl designs for my own personal reasons. That said, it would be perfectly legal for me to copy a rl design because in the US, unless you are copying logos or distinctive features from a design (like a patented super special zipper or a trade marked print like Burberry plaid) it is perfectly legal to 'knockoff' a design.

When it comes to the actual execution of a design, I do NOT photosource a whole image and I rarely photosource elements in the design. Out of all my designs, only 3 contain any photosourcing. Without going too much into ip laws, I will say that I take greater care than I legally am bound to when sourcing for my designs and all of my sources have been in public domain. I hope this clears up any confusion and please let me know if you are interested in seeing and reading more about my process. <3

YOU decide!

So, I've been wasting WAY too much time discussing what my next release should be with CJ and we've narrowed it down to 4 options and I've decided to ask all of you what you think we should release next. So please take this survey and let us know what you think.

New @ 5th & Oxford: Narita

This week's release is a glamorous swimsuit with retro appeal. Narita features ruching and comes in both a hibiscus print and solid colors. They come in 4 colors each and as always, are available in multiple layers.

tp to 5th & Oxford

HBox Skin Fair Exclusive!

We're very pleased to announce the release of our new skin, Sorbet. It's an exclusive skin available only at the Hbox fair. Our Touch of Sun Sorbet set includes skin, shape, and an adorable little bikini with a cherry motif. This sweet skin has just a touch of sun on the cheeks and nose and comes in 3 skin tones and features mod brows.















Be sure to drop by the fair to check out the other creators as well. It's an adorable enviorment and because it's such a small scale, the lag should be at a minimum. There is also a live music event at 2pm.

2 Fifty Linden Friday Items

Something for the ladies AND the gentlemen this week. The first item is a teeny little bikini with cherry detailing on the bust. This item is not yet available in our store so be sure to snap it up this week!




The second item is a little something for the men. I've created two novelty tees in red and gray. It's something small but I do promise more things for men will be coming in the fall.