Proposed revised CDS General Covenants January 2024

[Rosie Gray]

The CDS Artisan Guild has been asked to review and propose revisions to the General Covenants for our lands. The Guild has now approved the following and asks the Citizens, RA, and Chancellor to read it. Now is your time to make any concerns, comments or questions known. The Guild requests the RA to vote on acceptance at the next RA meeting. Note that major changes are highlighted below.

The existing General Covenants can be found here: https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/

The proposed revised General Covenants:

About this community:
The Confederation of Democratic Simulators (CDS) is the oldest democracy in Second Life. The regions have loosely based Germanic, Alpine, Tuscan, or Mediterranean themes.

We are not a role-playing community.

FOR HELP, find online Estate Managers in Neufreistadt here, or in Colonia Nova, here (link to EM list on the website).

General CDS Covenants
(These covenants apply to all CDS regions. You must read these general covenants AND the region-specific covenants for the region you are purchasing in; see links at bottom of this page for those.)

Purchasing Land and Paying Tier:
Step 1: Buy the land through the About Land tab. Your first month’s tier is paid when you purchase the land (no cost for the land itself).

Step 2: An Estate Manager will set the tier box to your name, and include your first 30 days as ‘paid’. You pay the tier box at the end of your 30 days and keep it current in order to maintain your ownership and your citizenship.

**By purchasing a parcel you become a citizen of the CDS. We encourage you to get to know your fellow citizens, come to events and meetings, and read the constitution and laws on the CDS website. https://cdsdemocracy.org/

a. Tier is paid to CDS and not to Linden Labs. You do not need a Premium account to become a citizen in CDS.

b. The Linden Lab Premium Account land allowance does not apply to and is not credited towards ownership of land within CDS. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent on making regular payment of the monthly fee for a least one parcel.

c. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent upon making regular payment of the monthly fee for at least one parcel.

d. Landowners may directly sell their parcel to another individual only with the assistance of a CDS Estate Manager.

e. Some zones within individual CDS regions have specific parcel ownership restrictions.

Tier Meter Expiration

f. Your responsibility for monthly parcel fees continues until you mark the tierbox “Won’t Renew”, you abandon the property through “About Land”, you notify the Chancellor in writing of your intention to vacate, or you are evicted for non-payment

g. Your status as a citizen in this community is dependent upon making regular payment of the monthly fee for this land, which will be reclaimed by the community if you do not make this payment.

h. Your property sales rights are revoked once tier is in arrears.

General Rules:

1. All buildings in CDS must be physically plausible, based on the architectural technology of the historical period and culture of the CDS region in which the property is located.

2. Use no “Full Bright” settings on any of your objects out of doors.

3. Vendors must be inside of buildings and are only allowed on commercially zoned lots.

4. No global ban lines. You DO have the right to ban specific individuals from your parcel.

5. No security devices below 1000 meters.

6. Keep skyboxes and build platforms above 1000 meters and within parcel limits.

7. Subleasing is allowed only with the understanding that the subleaser does not gain citizenship through the sublease. It is incumbent upon the person who owns the property to explain this to the subleaser.

8. Nudity is allowed only within private residences. Our regions are rated ‘moderate’.

9. No weapons are permitted.

10. No SL or RL pornography is permitted.

11. All non-natural, non-environmental sounds must be restricted to the parcel boundaries.

12. All greeter scripts must be restricted to the parcel boundaries.

Approval of Buildings:

1. All public and private buildings in the CDS regions require approval by the Chancellor. The Chancellor can request an opinion from the CDS Artisan Guild. See specific Regional Covenants below.

2. Adjustments to land within region-specific tolerances, to accommodate complying structures, may be made by Estate Managers.

3. Variances may be granted for terraforming requests beyond the region-specific tolerances.

4. Buildings under construction for longer than 24 hours must be kept above 1000 m.

Scripts and Particles:

1. Excessive script usage adversely affects region performance and is not permitted. The determination of excessive is at the sole discretion of the Chancellor.

2. Scripts which use llListen (voice command) are permitted if they listen only after a touch and then deactivate after a certain period of time.

3. Scripts that spy on other residents, record or transmit chat, or spy on movement/activities are not permitted with the exception of visitor counters, item givers, statistics collectors, etc., which may be used for commercial purposes within a public, commercial establishment.

4. Private security scripts may be used above 1000m and range within the owner’s parcel borders and give intruders a 30-second warning before ejection.

5. Particles may be used in effects that have real-world analogies, such as lights, smoke, and fire. Floating, particle-emitting and rotating signs are prohibited.

6. Scripts and particles attached to avatars are unregulated.

Commercial Zoning: Clubs and Other Businesses
1. Clubs and businesses shall be established in commercially defined zones. See specific regional covenants.

2. All clubs are subject to review by the Chancellor. Normally only one club per region is allowed and that is on terms negotiated in advance and enforced by the Chancellor.

Terms of Service
All terms and conditions of service set forth by Linden Lab, both in their official Terms of Service (TOS) and in all official blog posts, forum posts or other official statements regarding policy, allowed behaviour and terms of service must be adhered to first and foremost before the application of this covenant. Under no circumstances does the CDS permit any behaviour or actions not permitted by the Linden Lab TOS or publicized policy. These covenants are subject to change from time to time as the elected governing bodies see fit. Changes shall be effective upon publication.

These General CDS Covenants were approved by the 33th RA, on June 23, 2020 <-- this will be updated when the revised covenant is approved.

For more about each sim and to read the current covenants, visit their individual pages:

Neufreistadt https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/neufreistadt/
Colonia Nova https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/colonia-nova/
Monastery https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/monastery/
Alpine Meadow https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/alpine-meadow/
Locus Amoenus https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/locus-amoenus/
Friedsee https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/friedsee/

[Tor Karlsvalt]

Minor thing, I noticed b and c repeat a sentence.

b. The Linden Lab Premium Account land allowance does not apply to and is not credited towards ownership of land within CDS. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent on making regular payment of the monthly fee for a least one parcel.

c. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent upon making regular payment of the monthly fee for at least one parcel.

[Rosie Gray]

Minor thing, I noticed b and c repeat a sentence.

b. The Linden Lab Premium Account land allowance does not apply to and is not credited towards ownership of land within CDS. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent on making regular payment of the monthly fee for a least one parcel.

c. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent upon making regular payment of the monthly fee for at least one parcel.

Noted, thanks Tor.

[Jerry McNally]

General Rules:
…
11. All non-natural, non-environmental sounds must be restricted to the parcel boundaries.

I'm not sure I can explain this well, as I'm not really sure what I'm talking about, but just thinking back to citizen concerns raised at RA meetings from quite a while ago, about annoying media playing outside a parcel. Does rule 11 need reinforcing with a brief line about what setting to use to stop this from accidentally happening? Is it a matter of simply saying, "Ensure such-and-such a switch is set to something-something"?

[Lilith Ivory]

This sounds like a very good idea Jerry as many SL residents are not very experienced with about land settings

[Rosie Gray]

Hmm, well I do agree that some people may not know how to accomplish this, but the Estate Managers can always help. These are the covenants of 'what should be/is required' but we don't explain how to accomplish anywhere else. Should we do that here? It's easy enough to do, but would it raise expectations that anything with a remotely technical requirement be completely explained as to how to accomplish? I don't know... just asking.

[Rosie Gray]

We discussed in the Guild meeting today the idea of adding 'how to' in the covenants, but agreed that is not the place for it. Estate Managers can assist those who require it, and are setting the land to include 'Restrict MOAP to this parcel' when managing land for sale.

We voted to include in the General Covenants the requirement that Restrict MOAP to this parcel be a required setting.

[Rosie Gray]

The CDS Artisan Guild has been asked to review and propose revisions to the General Covenants for our lands. The Guild has now approved the following and asks the Citizens, RA, and Chancellor to read it. Now is your time to make any concerns, comments or questions known. The Guild requests the RA to vote on acceptance at the next RA meeting. Note that major changes are highlighted below.

The existing General Covenants can be found here: https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/

The proposed revised General Covenants:

About this community:
The Confederation of Democratic Simulators (CDS) is the oldest democracy in Second Life. The regions have loosely based Germanic, Alpine, Tuscan, or Mediterranean themes.

We are not a role-playing community.

FOR HELP, find online Estate Managers in Neufreistadt here, or in Colonia Nova, here (link to EM list on the website).

General CDS Covenants
(These covenants apply to all CDS regions. You must read these general covenants AND the region-specific covenants for the region you are purchasing in; see links at bottom of this page for those.)

Purchasing Land and Paying Tier:
Step 1: Buy the land through the About Land tab. Your first month’s tier is paid when you purchase the land (no cost for the land itself).

Step 2: An Estate Manager will set the tier box to your name, and include your first 30 days as ‘paid’. You pay the tier box at the end of your 30 days and keep it current in order to maintain your ownership and your citizenship.

**By purchasing a parcel you become a citizen of the CDS. We encourage you to get to know your fellow citizens, come to events and meetings, and read the constitution and laws on the CDS website. https://cdsdemocracy.org/

a. Tier is paid to CDS and not to Linden Labs. You do not need a Premium account to become a citizen in CDS.

b. The Linden Lab Premium Account land allowance does not apply to and is not credited towards ownership of land within CDS. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent on making regular payment of the monthly fee for a least one parcel.

c. Status as a citizen in this community is dependent upon making regular payment of the monthly fee for at least one parcel.

d. Landowners may directly sell their parcel to another individual only with the assistance of a CDS Estate Manager.

e. Some zones within individual CDS regions have specific parcel ownership restrictions.

Tier Meter Expiration

f. Your responsibility for monthly parcel fees continues until you mark the tierbox “Won’t Renew”, you abandon the property through “About Land”, you notify the Chancellor in writing of your intention to vacate, or you are evicted for non-payment

g. Your status as a citizen in this community is dependent upon making regular payment of the monthly fee for this land, which will be reclaimed by the community if you do not make this payment.

h. Your property sales rights are revoked once tier is in arrears.

General Rules:

1. All buildings in CDS must be physically plausible, based on the architectural technology of the historical period and culture of the CDS region in which the property is located.

2. Use no “Full Bright” settings on any of your objects out of doors.

3. Vendors must be inside of buildings and are only allowed on commercially zoned lots.

4. No global ban lines. You DO have the right to ban specific individuals from your parcel.

5. No security devices below 1000 meters.

6. Keep skyboxes and build platforms above 1000 meters and within parcel limits.

7. Subleasing is allowed only with the understanding that the subleaser does not gain citizenship through the sublease. It is incumbent upon the person who owns the property to explain this to the subleaser.

8. Nudity is allowed only within private residences. Our regions are rated ‘moderate’.

9. No weapons are permitted.

10. No SL or RL pornography is permitted.

11. All non-natural, non-environmental sounds must be restricted to the parcel boundaries. The 'Restrict MOAP to this Parcel' setting must be enabled on private parcels.

12. All greeter scripts must be restricted to the parcel boundaries.

Approval of Buildings:

1. All public and private buildings in the CDS regions require approval by the Chancellor. The Chancellor can request an opinion from the CDS Artisan Guild. See specific Regional Covenants below.

2. Adjustments to land within region-specific tolerances, to accommodate complying structures, may be made by Estate Managers.

3. Variances may be granted for terraforming requests beyond the region-specific tolerances.

4. Buildings under construction for longer than 24 hours must be kept above 1000 m.

Scripts and Particles:

1. Excessive script usage adversely affects region performance and is not permitted. The determination of excessive is at the sole discretion of the Chancellor.

2. Scripts which use llListen (voice command) are permitted if they listen only after a touch and then deactivate after a certain period of time.

3. Scripts that spy on other residents, record or transmit chat, or spy on movement/activities are not permitted with the exception of visitor counters, item givers, statistics collectors, etc., which may be used for commercial purposes within a public, commercial establishment.

4. Private security scripts may be used above 1000m and range within the owner’s parcel borders and give intruders a 30-second warning before ejection.

5. Particles may be used in effects that have real-world analogies, such as lights, smoke, and fire. Floating, particle-emitting and rotating signs are prohibited.

6. Scripts and particles attached to avatars are unregulated.

Commercial Zoning: Clubs and Other Businesses
1. Clubs and businesses shall be established in commercially defined zones. See specific regional covenants.

2. All clubs are subject to review by the Chancellor. Normally only one club per region is allowed and that is on terms negotiated in advance and enforced by the Chancellor.

Terms of Service
All terms and conditions of service set forth by Linden Lab, both in their official Terms of Service (TOS) and in all official blog posts, forum posts or other official statements regarding policy, allowed behaviour and terms of service must be adhered to first and foremost before the application of this covenant. Under no circumstances does the CDS permit any behaviour or actions not permitted by the Linden Lab TOS or publicized policy. These covenants are subject to change from time to time as the elected governing bodies see fit. Changes shall be effective upon publication.

These General CDS Covenants were approved by the 33th RA, on June 23, 2020 <-- this will be updated when the revised covenant is approved.

For more about each sim and to read the current covenants, visit their individual pages:

Neufreistadt https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/neufreistadt/
Colonia Nova https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/colonia-nova/
Monastery https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/monastery/
Alpine Meadow https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/alpine-meadow/
Locus Amoenus https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/locus-amoenus/
Friedsee https://cdsdemocracy.org/cds-themes/friedsee/

[Brian Livingston]

For the section about Building Approval, it might be worth broadening the approval to the Chancellor or their designee, provided they are a member of the Executive Branch. Additionally, it seems that there should be an appeal mechanism specified if the Chancellor declined a particular structure. Rough proposal is in bold, below. Then again, perhaps this is overkill... open to suggestions

"1. All public and private buildings in the CDS regions require approval by the Chancellor (or their designee, provided they area member of the Executive branch). The Chancellor can request an opinion from the CDS Artisan Guild. In the event that the Chancellor (or their designee) declines approval of a building, the owner may petition the [ Artisan Guild? SC? ] to review and adjudicate. See specific Regional Covenants below."

[Rosie Gray]

There was a motion at the Guild to add:
General Rules
12) Sound tab on About Land settings: Media: Restrict MOAP to this parcel MUST be selected.

[Rosie Gray]

For the section about Building Approval, it might be worth broadening the approval to the Chancellor or their designee, provided they are a member of the Executive Branch. Additionally, it seems that there should be an appeal mechanism specified if the Chancellor declined a particular structure. Rough proposal is in bold, below. Then again, perhaps this is overkill... open to suggestions

"1. All public and private buildings in the CDS regions require approval by the Chancellor (or their designee, provided they area member of the Executive branch). The Chancellor can request an opinion from the CDS Artisan Guild. In the event that the Chancellor (or their designee) declines approval of a building, the owner may petition the [ Artisan Guild? SC? ] to review and adjudicate. See specific Regional Covenants below."

Thanks for the suggestion, Brian. We will hopefully

[Almut Brunswick]

We discussed in the Guild meeting today the idea of adding 'how to' in the covenants, but agreed that is not the place for it. Estate Managers can assist those who require it, and are setting the land to include 'Restrict MOAP to this parcel' when managing land for sale.

We voted to include in the General Covenants the requirement that Restrict MOAP to this parcel be a required setting.

Though I agree that the covenants are not the place for 'how to' instructions, I disagree with the idea just to point on the Estate Managers as assistants. That does not make the procedures transparent enough. Everyone should be at least potentially fully enabled to carry out the necessary settings themselves. I thus propose to think about adding a 'how to' section to the New Citizen's Guide.

By the way: I would have zero clue about such things either, and I won't call me a new citizen...

Almut

[Rosie Gray]

Though I agree that the covenants are not the place for 'how to' instructions, I disagree with the idea just to point on the Estate Managers as assistants. That does not make the procedures transparent enough. Everyone should be at least potentially fully enabled to carry out the necessary settings themselves. I thus propose to think about adding a 'how to' section to the New Citizen's Guide.

By the way: I would have zero clue about such things either, and I won't call me a new citizen...

Almut

Almut, that's a good idea to add a 'hot to' section to the New Citizen's Guide on how to manage their land settings.

[Jerry McNally]

Well, the
page on the website is ready and waiting...

[Rosie Gray]

'How to' section is drafted onto the 'CDS Guide for New Citizens' now. Here is the text (but not the formatting):

Managing Your Land in the CDS

When you have purchased a parcel in the CDS, you will have control over most of the settings on it. This is more than many will have experienced before and is one of the differences between ‘renting’ and ‘owning’.

Some specifics that you will immediately need to set on your land, and how to do them:

Click on the name of your parcel, available from the very top of your viewer where you will see the parcel name. This will open the ‘About Land’ information and options window.

General tab: Rename your parcel and give it a description - both optional

Covenant tab: Read the General Rules of the CDS and find the link to the General Covenants and the Specific Covenants for the region you are in. You should read these covenants to be familiar with what is allowed and what is not allowed.

Objects tab: You can see your parcel ‘land capacity’ and ‘land impact’ (LI) for the parcel here. Click the small circle with an arrow to the right of Object Owners to see who owns the objects on your parcel. If there are objects owned by someone there that you do not want there, click on the line with their name so that the line is highlighted, and then click the Return Objects button.

Options tab: This is the MOST IMPORTANT tab to attend to first. De-select the ‘Everyone’ option from Build. You can leave the Group build selected or not at your discretion. All other options are at your discretion.

Media tab: You can set Media-On-a-Prim (MOAP) options here.
Sound tab: Media ‘Restrict MOAP to this parcel’ MUST be selected according to our Covenants. This restricts the sounds of Media On A Prim from spamming the rest of the region. Other options are at your discretion. Most people will not restrict gesture and object sounds to the parcel as that will stop you from hearing the sounds of nature and other sounds like horses walking past etc., but it is up to you.

Access tab: You may prevent specific avatars from entering your land here, by banning them.

Experiences tab: If you have an item that can be used by ‘experience’, you can allow it or block here, on your parcel. Many ‘experiences’ that are commonly used are already set by the Estate Managers for entire regions, such as AVsitter, and others.

Environment tab: You may customize the environmental settings for your parcel here.

If you are having difficulty understanding something on the About Land settings, CDS Estate Managers can assist.

***Please note that terraforming can only be done by an Estate Manager. Contact the Chancellor to find out who might be available with the required skill level. Our covenants allow for a small amount of terraforming to aid in the placement of buildings, but you should do your best to make the building fit the land first, rather than the other way around.