Patent ID: 8656476

Claim:
A method in a virtual universe system having avatars and spam avatars, the avatars and spam avatars having owners and identifications, the method comprising: identifying, using at least one computing device, a spam avatar rendered and operating in a region of a virtual universe, the spam avatar rendered with a distinguishable mark that modifies only a portion of the appearance of the spam avatar to differentiate the spam avatar from non-spam avatars; storing, using the at least one computing device, the identification of the spam avatar; notifying, using the at least one computing device, the owner of the spam avatar that the spam avatar has been identified as a spam avatar based on the distinguishable mark of the avatar rendered and operating within the virtual universe; and allowing, using the at least one computing device, the owner to remove the spam avatar from a black list of spam avatars by re-rendering the spam avatar with the distinguishable mark eliminated.