Version 1.6 of Second Life is now in its first full day of existence. The new version of the virtual world counts among its improvements, the ability to stream Quicktime video (as well as Quicktime-supported MPEG4 and non-interactive Flash 5)within the environment. Streaming video can now be plastered directly onto any of Second Life's objects. This, of course, means new opportunities for pornography and intellectual-property violations. While are waiting for the former with antici...pation, the latter seems to already be blooming.

An inworld cinema last night screened the original Night of the Living Dead. Released in 1968, I'm pretty sure the copyright's not yet expired on this classic flick (but of course, I am not a lawyer) [Update: reader Cienna points out that because of a technicality, the movie is in the public domain]. Enthusiastic residents are already inquiring about where they can find more movies and television shows inworld. Thanks to Bitorrent, there are plenty such videos readily available on the internet.

Inworld streaming video, as with the streaming audio before it, is not actually passed through Linden Lab's servers, but as one Second Lifer aptly mentioned on the official forums, "The case law is that streaming video over the internet constitutes 'a copy' of the material... I think it remains to be seen whether Linden [Lab] can actually escape all responsibility for such matters by claiming to be a passive intermediary." I've mentioned before how Second Life is courting legal disaster with regards to IP infringement. Linden Lab has recently added DCMA information to their Terms of Service to explain how to register IP complaints.