Call me a doomsayer, but I think we could be about to see a trademark war. Thus far, Linden Lab's legal team have reared their ugly (I mean lovely and in no way defamatory) heads at anybody and everybody who even hints at the name or logo of Second Life, even if the usage falls under "fair use" and does nothing but promote the platform. They have seemingly destroyed communities which support the virtual world, all in the name of defending their oh-so-precious trademark, which was never in any real jeopardy anyway.

It will be interesting to see how these bullies stand up to the biggest legal bully of all, now that Microsoft has (either foolishly or heroically) announced their SecondLight technology. Admittedly, it's not a virtual world... rather, it provides a degree of depth for an otherwise flat display technology. Still, I reckon its close enough to give Linden Lab the shivers.

You can bet that if I alone started a website or service called "SecondLight", even if it had nothing to do with Second Life, then Linden Lab would be on my case in a flash. So come on Linden legal dudes... bare your teeth at the monster. If you don't, we'll all know you're cowards after all... you squish the little guys, but hide in the corner when somebody bigger comes along.