Scammed? Call the COPS™.

Have you been treated unfairly by a business in Second Life™, had your land revoked without a just cause, or simply been scammed by a user on the grid? The Community Office of Professional Standards (COPS™) is your solution.

 

Wrongfully accused? Defend your position.

If you have been targeted as the subject of a complaint issued by a user in Second Life™, you too have rights. Clear your reputation and maintain your brand integrity by filing a Response to the allegation against you.

 

Misunderstanding? It happens.

Much is lost in chat, and not all allegations are evidence of wrongdoings in Second Life™. The goal of COPS™ is to assist users on the grid, in maintaining a fair, open, and honest business environment which contributes to the long term success of the inworld economy.

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The GOOD on the grid, represent the vast majority of honest and professional businesses in Second Life™ . The BAD on the grid are those who, through negligence or omission, poorly affect the Second Life™ business community. The UGLY on the grid, are those who are downright fraudulent.

 

Intellectual Property, Copyright, Patent, & Trademark Law

Protecting your creative digital content is of utmost importance. Content thieves, griefers, and other inworld trolls frequently take advantage of their purported anonymity in order to harass, annoy, and otherwise diminish the viability of your brand. Our office provides a wide array of solutions including Copyright, Patent, and Trademark registrations, Cease and Desist and DMCA Takedown notices, and personalized Terms of Service and EULAs.

Legal Drafting, Consulting, & Licensing Agreements

Our comprehensive consultation, legal drafting, and licensing agreements are designed to allow you to effectuate your business objectives by creating legal agreements which can be fully executed inworld, yet which carry the legal weight and force of real life courts. Consultation retainers range from simple low-cost periodic chat consultations, to more frequent voice consultations as necessary, in order to address inworld issues as they arise.

Aggressive Civil Litigation, Mitigation, and Arbitration

Monday Beam is currently a member of the Illinois State Bar, as well as the United States Federal Trial Bar, concentrating on both criminal and civil litigation. Our inworld practice frequently handles disputes arising from Intellectual Property claims, as well as those involving purported fraud, defamation, libel, slander, and other civil and criminal allegations. Arbitration and mitigation are the preferred methods of dispute resolution.
  • Total Settled Disputes to Date 96% 96%
  • Total Unsettled Disputes to Date 4% 4%

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What is COPS™?

The Community Office or Professional Standards (COPS™) is a reporting and rating system for Inworld consumers, vendors, service providers, and business owners which provides one of three (3) Ratings relating to business practices in Second Life™.

 

How Does the COPS™ Database Help Me?

When a Second Life™ User has an experience Inworld that seems unfair, or which violates traditional notions of fairness and professionalism, there are very limited options to address the issue. Real world legal action is sometimes not feasible, due to the amount of Lindens in controversy. Many users still find it important to address the issue in a manner which is very public and searchable by the Second Life™ community as a whole, unlike standard Inworld Abuse Reports.

The COPS™ Database provides a public record of all disputes arising on the grid, much like the Reviews system works on popular sites such as Amazon, Yelp!, and other online consumer rating systems. Unlike these systems, COPS™ provides real life legal analysis of all disputes, by a licensed attorney.

 

What Happens After I File with COPS™?

Once a party files a pleading with COPS™, a Final Decision is posted to the COPS™ Database, along with an official Report and Rating issued by the attorney. The Ratings and information provided are public, and may only be reviewed through the Appeal process. Once all filings have taken place on both sides of the dispute, a Final Report is posted to the COPS™ Database, along with an Official Rating.

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The most reliable, honest, and professionally responsible users on the grid are given the “Good” Rating. This rating helps to ensure brand viability, and allows users on the grid to consume the products and services under this Rating with full confidence that the entity honors its clients as much as its own business. The “Good” users are the most highly recommended, and most sought after businesses on the grid.

The “Bad” Rating is reserved for users on the grid who by omission, accident, oversight, negligence, simple mistake or error in judgment, have acted in a manner which hinders the free flowing exchange of Lindens in the Second Life™ Marketplace, and which diminishes the trust and open standards of fair and honest business practices between consumers and vendors on the Second Life™ grid. The “Bad” users are not recommended, and should be approached with a “Buyer beware” mentality.

The “Ugly” Rating is applied towards users who have shown repeated or egregious acts of fraud, deceit, theft, trolling, griefing, spamming, and/or other unfavorable behavior which violates the Second Life™ Terms of Service, Community Standards, or otherwise destroys the standards of ethics fair play on the Second Life™ grid. The “Ugly” users are red flags to the user community of Second Life™ and should be avoided at all costs.