Trademarks - Back to square one

I haven't yet met a Linen I've taken a dislike to, although there are many I haven't met. I talk to some more than others, I used to go to Catherine Linden's office hour when she held one and always found her to be witty and approachable.

However, the latest trademark blog which was apparently rumoured to be an answer to community concerns, manages to answer absolutely nothing and just adds further confusion. This is quite a feat really when you consider how many questions were being asked, everything has been ignored. Instead of answering, the majority of points have merely been given a bold heading and simplified.

I find it most concerning however when I read statements like this:

2. Can I discuss the Second Life world on my website?
Of course! You can — and should — call our products and services by their names. For instance, it’s ok to say you’re “running a business in the Second Life world” or that you bought “Linden dollars through the LindeX exchange.”"

This is what initially concerned me, I then decided I'd got the wrong end of the stick, now I'm not so sure I have. There's no way on earth that Linden Lab should be insisting that every single reference to their world or product has to be referenced in such a manner, it's completely absurd.

If you're advertising inworld business or services then fair enough, if you're merely talking about Second Life, I'm sorry, but it's absolute balderdash to insist that references must be made in this fashion. Information Week won't be doing it, Scoble won't be doing it, the mainstream press won't be doing it, so why the heck are the residents expected to do it?

Then we come to SL, an acronym that somehow Linden Lab believe should belong only to them. My own blog uses these initials, named after my sister who has the initials SL, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I read the fansite conditions, I didn't use a domain with Second Life in the name, I see no reason however why anyone can't use SL, especially as other domains not only already use it, they use a logo with SL in the title. This is just simply absurd.

As for the inSL logo, I can see the logic there, however why they can't make a logo with inSecond Life in the banner is beyond me, Microsoft don't want people to refer to their product as MS.

Second Life and Linden Lab do need to protect their trademarks. Those people who created domains that were in breach of the previous guidelines, I feel for you but you're in the wrong. Those who now find themselves in breach of guidelines, you're damn right to be annoyed. Moving the goalposts is never good, especially when it's done in such a cack handed fashion.

I'm disappointed that someone as articulate as Catherine Linden has produced a blog that has merely fanned the flames instead of addressing the issues. The first issue for Catherine and Linden Lab to address is in terms of common sense, please acquire some.