Rock kerfuffle a crock, says Telstra
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Snap a photo of your visit to The Pond.
Telstra's BigPond has defended the use of virtual models of Uluru and the Sydney Opera House on its Second Life island, saying such computer-generated drawings did not breach any copyright laws.
"Anyone can go and draw a picture of Uluru," BigPond spokesman Craig Middleton said. "It's no different from a Ken Done tea towel or a primary school student's art project. It's just a computer drawing, a digital representation."
He also denied suggestions made in media reports today that the use of Uluru - formerly known as Ayers Rock - was culturally insensitive.
Middleton pointed out that visitors to BigPond's Second Life islands, called The Pond, were prevented from climbing the virtual monolith.
"We didn't want people doing anything that would cause offence," he said.
Visitors to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory are encouraged to respect the law and culture of the traditional owners of the land and to refrain from climbing the rock.
According to the park website, the traditional owners "believe that their culture is degraded if images of sacred sites are captured or displayed, or if the park is used to advertise products and services that do not promote the natural and cultural values of the Park, and people's awareness, understanding and enjoyment of them".
The site's visitor rules require "a company, institution, group or individual wanting to film, photograph, paint, draw or record sound in the park for commercial purposes'' to first obtain a permit.
Middleton said company lawyers had explored legal issues arising from the use of computer-generated models before the facility was opened to the public in March.
"We crossed the Is and dotted the Ts in relation to any legal requirements," Middleton said.
In fact, BigPond did seek permission from a number of companies - including Foster's - for the rights to use trademarks.
The Billabong Bar on the island features computer-generated drawings of cans of Victoria Bitter beer. Inside the bar, the shelves are stocked with many well-known brands of alcohol including Gordon's and Beefeater's gin, Jack Daniel's bourbon and Bell's whiskey.
He said BigPond had not received any complaints from any parties connected with Uluru or the Opera House about the use of the digital representations of structures in Second Life.
Use of renditions of real life structures and objects are commonplace in Second Life.
IBM has built facilities with, for instance, virtual copies of the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne and the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. Two Way TV Australia has a Second Life island featuring a copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
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