Hans,
Not sure where you are getting your information but to clarify a couple of points no one with Island Oasis has said anything about grid owners NEEDING an association, but instead hold the sentiment that one would be beneficial. After Island Oasis first announced the date for the Summit Maria had contacted one of Island Oasis' co-founders and asked:
"Do you plan to use the meeting to found an organization for grid owners, to discuss cross-grid griefing, copyright protection, or other issues?"
The response she was given from Damean Paolino was:
"I feel that an open forum and, Yes, possibly the formation of a formal organization, will foster a sense of cooperation and an ongoing open dialog between the grid owners, subsequently benefiting all of the parties involved and ultimately benefiting the residents of all virtual worlds."
The Summit is NOT to talk about individuals creations. The purpose of the Summit for Grid Owners is to discuss issues relevant to being a Grid Owner. The day to day functions of operating such a business. It is about the Grid Owners work. Yes dealing with residents is part of the daily work of a Grid Owner but there are many, many more issues to be covered that are relevant to operating a Grid.
As for "do we want to talk to residents?" YES! Which is why since the first month Island Oasis began in early 2011 the Staff has hosted a Town Hall meeting open to all residents to attend. The open meeting is purposefully held twice to accommodate residents of differing time zones. After presenting grid announcements the floor is opened up to residents to openly ask or discuss issues they choose. Beyond that we have a number of ways residents can contact staff if they need assistance both in and out of world.
I won't go into lengthy commentary on your other incorrect statements/assumptions, but in short... we do work, we no problem paying for our servers and do not steal and we charge less than most grids, since money isn't our focus, and we do care about protecting the creator and follow the rules to ensure protection. To date we have had only 1 DMCA filed with the grid and YES the content was removed.
And again to be perfectly clear: The Summit is NOT to talk about individuals creations. The purpose of the Summit for Grid Owners is to discuss issues relevant to being a Grid Owner. The day to day functions of operating such a business. It is about the Grid Owners work.
Marketing Director, Island Oasis LLC