Meeroos Addresses It's Pet Issues

 

Longtime residents will likely remember the Meeroos, even if they never got one. Introduced in 2011, these cute virtual pets known for their wanting to snuggle were very popular then. Almost fifteen years later, they're still around, with a smaller but still active fanbase.  Recently a friend of mine who owned some started telling me about trouble. But after several days, there was finally a response from someone in the company behind them.

Read the story in Design. 

Interview With Kitacelia on Raising Horses

 

Penny Shuftan String (Deaflegacy) took a break from her hiatus to write an article about a subject in Second Life that interested her: raising breedable horses. So she interviewed someone who breeds them: Kἶէმƈεlἶმ Lմἶղƈօɾἶმlօէε Kεlνმɾl (Kitacelia). Kitacelia had plenty to say about the subject. 

 

Read Penny's article in People. 

KittyCatS! Celebrates Ten Years

 

For fans of KittyCatS, it's the tenth anniversary of the producers of the breedable pet cats. And they have a gift for anyone whom has ever gotten a kitty, or kitty food, from them (presumably that's all that's needed to be registered in their database). They have a pair of special cats just being offered at this time, for free. One is for their tenth anniversary, and the other their ninth.

In celebration of our 10 year birthday, we created a fun little cat as a grid-wide gift!

This cat comes as an "non- identical twin" kitty with our 9th birthday kitty, who has arrived "fashionably late" to the party! Something about that 9 lives thing? Who knows! But you will be getting 2 cats to jump "out of the cake!" this year!

The cats are available at KittyCatS (131/44/26). It should be noted there was nothing in the announcement about the pets not needing food. So while the kitties are free, you'll still need to get pet food. 

The free kitties are available until March 15.

This And That: News in Brief

 There's a lot going on, and only a little time to write about it. So here's a few things that have been going on, but we haven't had the time to write about it in-depth.

With the Pandemic and US Presidential Election in the news lately, something called the CASE Act was almost unnoticed. Tacked onto the Coronovirus relief bill, the act was to "a small claims court-type system within the United States Copyright Office for copyright owners to seek damages under US$30,000 for copyright violations." It got the attention of one SL DJ whom was concerned as it sounded like streaming for public performance would become a felony under the bill.

A residential area, Baja Cove, closed down, "it was a beautiful New Jersey like beach."

Flash is no longer operating for computers, and with it, a number of browser games, and animated files are no longer playing.

We still have yet to write about the Silent Hill "Otherworld" area, an interactive horror area where monsters attack people as they explore an area. For those who can't wait for the article, you can check it out at Chief (42/87/691).

A new kind of breedable pet was recommended  to us to write about. We'll get to it soon.

Second Life's land area grew over the previous year according to Tyche Shepherd, from 24740 regions to 25555, with most of the increase being private sims.

Stay tuned for more on these, and other topics.

Kitacelia and Raising Horses

Before automobiles, people got around either on foot or by horse. Even today when many people go weeks or months without seeing one, horses are still a big part of our culture such as engines measured in "horsepower," expressions such as "never look a gift horse in the mouth," and of course our stories such as cowboys always being near their horses. So it was probably inevitable people would bring horses to Second Life. Several years ago, breedable pet horses came about. And it became possible to raise them here. Deaflegacy, who owns a few horses, recently interviewed one horse breeder, Kitacelia. She had a few questions about raising horses here in the virtual world.

Read Deaflegacy's story in People.

My Horses on Second Life

Besides her writing, Deaflegacy has a love of horses. Besides her pony avatar, lately she's been getting some pet horses for her place in Cape Heron. So what is it like having a small herd of horses in Second Life? She writes some about her experiences.

Read Deaflegacy's article in Extra.

Farewell, Silver Fire

Last year, Wesley Regenbogen got a breedable horse as a pet in Second Life. It grew up, and eventually he learned to ride it. But nothing lasts forever. Wesley's horse is gone. He shares a few words as to what happened.

Read more in Extra.

Virtual Horseback Riding

So whatever happened to Wesley Regenbogen's new pony? Well, it didn't take long for the critter to grow up. And what does one do with a grown horse? Well, ride it. So Hope Dreamscape showed up to help him with his first horseback ride. So how did it go?

Read Wesley's account in Extra.

Commentary: Silver Fire - My Virtual Horse in Second Life

Wesley Regenbogen has been doing a little "horsing around" in Second Life lately. He recently came across a pet breedable horse, and had a few things to say about how he got it and what he feels about the idea.

Read Wesley's commentary in Design.

Tips on Raising Meeroos

Meeroos, a kind of virtual pet, were a big hit when introduced. A few years later, they remain highly popular. Kitacelia Resident writes about how to care and feed for these critters for those interested in owning one, and some of the traits those who try their hand at breeding them are after.

Read Kitacelia's story in Design.

Judge Issues Summary Judgement in Amaretto vs Ozimals Suit

It's been almost two years since Ozimals, the creators of the breedable bunny that was all the rage in Second Life for a time, ended up in court against Amaretto, known for it's horses that remain popular today. For those who don't remember, the trouble began in December 2010 when Ozimals filed a DMCA against Amaretto saying the scripts for Amaretto horses resembled those of Ozimals bunnies, and Amaretto responded with a counter-DMCA and copyright lawsuit. Later, the judge issued a temporary restraining order on Linden Lab against issuing a DMCA on Amaretto. The following month, he “granted an injunction that only applies to Ozimals' sending of takedown notices and makes no reference to restrictions on Second Life.”

The "bunneh versus horsie" lawsuit, which besides being a real life case involving virtual goods had the distinction of being presided by Charles R. Breyer, the brother of a Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer (Hamlet Au mused that there's likely to be a few jokes about the case in family conversation over the Holidays). Following the injunction in January 2011, nothing was heard about the case until this month. Tateru Nino reported that on November 5th, Judge Breyer made a summary judgement on the case.


Ozimals lacks standing to pursue its counterclaim, and so the Court GRANTS IN PART Amaretto’s Motion for Summary Judgment as to the counterclaim. Because Amaretto has not established a reasonable likelihood of facing copyright infringement liability, the Court finds that Amaretto lacks standing to pursue its remaining claims; it also finds that the possibility of harm is so speculative that the Court would not exercise its discretion to rule on he declaratory relief claims even if the threshold standing requirements were met. Accordingly, the Court DENIES IN PART Amaretto’s motion for summary judgment as to the declaratory judgment and copyright misuse claims, and DISMISSES those claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.


Amaretto claims the ruling as a victory for them, posting the "ruling vindicates Amaretto and permanently prevents Ozimals from asserting its previously claimed copyright on Amaretto or any other entity." There has been no comment on the Ozimals blog.

Hamlet Au's article on the case got number of comments, including one by Pussycat Catnip, whom remarked, "Summary judgements are ultra rare. They only occur when the situation is so obvious, the court finds there is no need for a trial. That's something Courts normally cannot Constitutionally do. To get one, the other side has to have essentially conceded the floor. ... whatever evidence was put forth, was deemed worthless."

It seems that this case is all but over, Tateru thinking, "it doesn’t look like Judge Breyer is going to have all that much left to rule on to finalize this case. It may drag on a little longer, but not that much longer ..." The general opinion on the Grid seems to have been that Ozimals had started the mess to begin with due to its market crash after months of being wildly popular, and went after the new top breedable pet by trying to use the power of the Lindens.

Hamlet Au thought that this case would establish a precedent for similar cases. Though this was a case in which the evidence was "worthless." One in which the accuser has a more solid claim is likely to go in it's own direction.

Sources: Tateru Nino, Hamlet Au

Bixyl Shuftan

Pets Sanctuary

Looking for a place that has a variety of breedable pets and pet supplies, or at least can tell you where to get the? The Pets Sanctuary at Atlantis World has a number of critters to offer from familiar bunnies to more niche, less common pets. And when you're done with shopping, the nearby SpiritValley Studios club offers DJ music events.

Read more in Places.

Get a Meeroo at Sunweaver Air: Rita Mariner’s Meeroos

If you’re a Second Life resident, you’re probably familiar with one of the most popular virtual pets on the Grid, if not the most popular. Looking at you with their adorable puppy-dog eyes making those “churrrrr” sounds, they never fail to get an “Awwww” from passersby. We are of course referring to those lovable Meeroos.

One doesn’t need to go far to find a Meeroo breeder looking to sell some of the critters. Right next to the Second Life Newspaper office, Rita Mariner keeps a number of Meeroos. She enjoys them a lot, but is looking for good homes for some of them.

Asking her what the attraction was, “First thing I like about them is that you can actually pick them up and cuddle them.” With the Meeroo HUD on, Rita told the critters will seek you out and beg to be snuggled. To those who think breedables cause too much lag, she answered, “These breedables are designed to work, in that they go into reduced activity mode, should sim dilation be detected. Also they act like real pets, that when the sun goes down, they go to sleep.”

Rita commented in several ways, the Meeroos were like a game, “You have to match up various traits to get them to breed, they way you want them too. They come in various species, coats, sizes and personalities. You can get ears shapes, tails, eyes and head shapes. You have to check the chart to see all that is available. They just added several new species and coats to the mix, I think only the oldest breeders are getting them right now and they are fetching premium prices right now. I have seen prices on some of the rare Meeroos as high as 250,000L. You need two to breed, and siblings can’t breed with each other, nor with their parents.”

Rita told that one can get most varieties of Meeroos from her, “I just got my first Jubilee.” For beginning owners, she recommends, getting individual Meeroos, “the fun part is when you get a new nest is you never know what you get until you toggle it. I have been surprised several times to see a totally different species Meeroo come out of a pair of my ‘roos. I have to look at them and wonder what those two have been up too, behind my back.” Rita explained a new Meeroo owner could easily end up with a rare after a couple have offspring, “I got a Jubilee out of my Pharaohs.”

Meeroos come in several sizes, “teacup, toy, small, average, medium, large, giant. Giant gets almost as big as my little daughter.” To add to the fun, “The Meeroos also dig up treasures for you to find and click on. At holidays, they creators add in special treasures just for the holidays. These gain you regard points. Regard points are like experience points. The more you get, the greater chance of unlocking different traits in your Meeroos. Your Meeroos also gain regard points through petting. They max out at 7500 points, so the faster you get them maxed out the better, since they only breed for 55 days, about once every 5 days. So you can get about 11 nests out each pair.”

Besides petting one’s own Meeroos for regard points, “you gain them by petting others 'roos, coaxing a nest, answering the oracle correctly, releasing a 'roo to the wild.”at age 60 days a 'roo becomes elderly and will not produce anymore nests. you have a choice to make. 1) keep them as is, but they still require food. 2) "Meepet" them, and that requires the 999L Meepet option, but they become a permanent pet and no longer require regular food 3) Release them into the wild. the last 2 you gain their stored up regard pints for yourself.”

“It is surprising how addicting they have become. *laughs* They are a lot of fun to have around, but watch out, they are very addicting. Like the old saying, ‘You can't eat just one’? You can't have just one. *laughs*”

For those truly addicted, Rita mentioned there are Meeroo avatars available. Or rather, anthro Meeroo modification kits for the furry chinchilla avatar, “available only on Curious Sim.” The kits come individually, or in “fat packs,” “Limited Edition ones are available only till Dec 31st.”

So if you’re interested in getting one or more pet Meeroos, go see Rita Mariner at Sunweaver Air.

Bixyl Shuftan

Meeroo Madness

Despite having been in Second Life for some months, Meeroos are still the top selling breedable pet on the Grid. So just what's the attraction of the little critters? Xymbers Slade decided to see for himself.

Read more in Design.

The Bergons: Second Life's Newest Pet Dragon

Xymbers Slade takes a look at how to tame your dragon, or rather, how to get a pet dragon in Second Life. The Bregons are one of the newer breedable pets to come into the grid, growing from hatchlings to breedable, rideable, pets.

Read more in Design.

Those Magical Meeroos

Grey Lupindo takes a look at the newest breedable pet in Second Life: the Meeroos. They're cute, they're cuddly, and they're the talk of the Grid. Our intrepid reporter talks with one beta owner to see if the little critters live up to the hype.

Read the story in Design.

Meet the "Seasons of Hope" KittyCatS!

Relay For Life® of Second Life® is thrilled to announce that KittyCatS! has created a special RFL of SL ‘Seasons of Hope’ breedable KittyCatS! collection to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Looking adorable and cute, the special ‘Seasons of Hope’ themed kitties were presented at the Home Expo on Saturday May 14. They will be on sale right through to Relay weekend in July.

Callie Cline and Equinox Pinion of KittyCatS presented the new kitties on the Home Expo’s Main Stage at 12:30pm SLT on Saturday May 14, followed by a live music concert with Mankind Tracer.

This marks the first time that RFL of SL has joined in a partnership of this type and the RFL of SL committee looks forward to the KittyCatS’ presence at Relay team events, at the Home Expo, and at Relay weekend, right alongside the Linden Bears.

"We’re really honoured to have been asked to partner with RFL and to be a sponsor at the Home Expo," says Callie Cline. "It’s very exciting for the pet and breedables community as a whole, as well.

"Creating these cats was a really touching experience for me as I have had a lot of people in my life die from cancer and in making these cats I thought of them and how they had impacted my life. So in each of these cats is a bit of some pretty amazing people who truly were with me during many seasons of my life and given me a lot of hope."

"People love animals and they bring so much joy into the world. We hope our contribution will provide meaning and help RFL of SL with its goals," says Equinox Pinion.

Home Expo coordinator, Nikki Mathieson said: ‘It’s exciting when talented, creative people come together to put their very best work out there for others to enjoy, while benefiting such an important cause.

"KittyCatS! have grown quickly in popularity since their launch in February. I’m confident that the RFL of SL KittyCat will bring a diverse and new group of visitors to the Expo and help us to expand its reach to a larger variety of Second Lifers."

Relay For Life of Second Life Event Chair MamaP Beerbaum added: "I cannot wait to get mine! Thank you so much Callie, Equinox and Dennis for partnering with us. I am so grateful to you for supporting our efforts in SL with such enthusiasm and generosity!"

This year marks the fourth anniversary of the Home Garden & Patio Expo benefiting Relay For Life of Second Life. The 2011 Expo opened on Friday, May 13 at noon and will remain open 24 hours each day until it closes on May 22 at 10pm SLT . This year’s Expo spans TEN Second Life sims, with over 100 exhibits, more entertainment and more ways to benefit Relay For Life, too!

For more information about KittyCatS! visit www.KittyCatS.biz

To find out all about this year’s Home & Garden Expo, visit http://slhomegardenpatioexpo.wordpress.com/

Update on the Ozimals vs Amaretto Legal Fight

New World Notes recently reported on a new development in the legal brawl between Ozimals and Amaretto. The trouble began in December 2010 when Ozimals filed a DMCA against Amaretto saying the scripts for Amaretto horses resembled those of Ozimals bunnies, and Amaretto responded with a counter-DMCA and copyright lawsuit. Later, the judge issued a temporary restraining order on Linden Lab against issuing a DMCA on Amaretto, which legal Blogger Eric Goldman called “a bizarre twist.” he felt it brought up legal questions about Linden Labs and it’s ability to control content.

Since then, the court has “granted an injunction that only applies to Ozimals' sending of takedown notices and makes no reference to restrictions on Second Life.” Perhaps another victory for the horses, but the legal dispute hasn’t ended, “Although this ends the most interesting angle of the dispute, the bunnies vs. horses dispute remains pretty interesting on its own. Normally, I would expect a dispute like that to get resolved quickly. I'm a little baffled how the revenue streams from these virtual animals can profitably support full-scale litigation warfare. Unfortunately, the parties seem to be going down that path.”

There have been no further comments on the feud on either of the petmakers websites. Ozimals was celebrating it’s first anniversary, and offering a bunny as one of the gifts for the Helping Hands charity. Amaretto mentioned trouble in the form of an “Amarettocheats” website. spreading drama, and a bug resulting in sick horses.

To add to the confusion, there was an incident at the Amaretto barn reported by New World Notes, in which a number of residents picketed the place in a farcical protest, saying it was animal abuse and depravity to force the virtual horses in “underage” breeding and sell them, invoking the name of religion. This was almost certainly unrelated to the legal mess, but it was certainly one strange distraction from it.

"Curiouser and Curiouser."

Sources: New World Notes, Tech & Marketing Blog

Bixyl Shuftan

Ozimals and Amaretto Ranch Breedables in Legal Fight

Virtual pets have been a part of Second Life for quite some time. Earlier this year, the Ozimals company was noted for their popular breedable bunnies. For a time, their bunnies were all the rage on the Grid, people breeding them for popular colors and putting them up for auction. In October, they made a marketing deal with Linden Lab, which sent out some promotional offers for them. Then Amaretto horses appeared on the scene, with horses that are also breedable, starting off as small foals that soon grow up and can also be ridden by avatars.

Recently, the two companies have been involved in a legal fight. It began when Ozimals demanded Amaretto stop selling the horses in a “cease and desist letter threatening to file a DMCA,” saying parts of the scripts were copies of the code used in the bunnies. Amaretto. Amaretto refused, and Ozimals fled a DMCA notice with Linden Lab. Amaretto soon responded with a counter-DMCA and copyright lawsuit.


Legal demands over Second Life products are nothing new. Just weeks ago, Universal Studios ordered a number of product makers to change the names of “Battlestar Galacitca” products, saying they were infringing on their copyright. A few years ago was the noted case of a sex bed company Strokerz being sued by several individuals led by the Eros company. But it was the company owner taken to court, not the company. The Ozimals and Amaretto fight is probably the first legal dispute in which both plaintiff and defendant are two registered companies whose revenue is made within Second Life.

Both Ozimals and Amaretto say they regret the matter has come to this, Josie Cooperstone of the Amaretto team calling it “a trying time for all of the breedable community.” But no one is backing down.

For Ozimal's statement, Click Here. For Amaretto's position, Click Here.

Sources: Dwell on It, New World Notes,
Pictures from ozimals.com and SL Marketplace

Bixyl Shuftan

Sources:

Amaretto Horses

Grey Lupindo goes "horsing around" as she looks into the Amaretto horses, the latest breedable pet in Second Life. Like the earlier bunnies, they have to be fed and cared for. But unlike their smaller counterparts, these can be ridden around.

Read the story in Extra.