Notes

How to Report Plagiarized NFTs as Stolen Art

So you've been ripped off.



Someone stole your work and made it an un-fungible object without your consent. The same fraudster has listed the NFTs of your plagiarized art for sale, and is taking in the ill-gotten gains. This is a sad and common event, and thankfully, you're not entirely out of options however the removal of your stolen artwork from the massive NFT exchanges like OpenSea and Rarible isn't going to be easy.



Welcome to the other side of the much-hyped NFT coin where fake works and plagiarized art rule the 2021 $44 billion market. This is so widespread that OpenSea which is described as the "world’s first and largest NFT marketplace" has admitted in January 2022 that more than 80 percent of NFTs it had minted using its free minting tool were "plagiarized works, fake collection, and spam."



Artists, unfortunately, are all too familiar with the less glamorous side of NFTs. Twitter accounts that expose NFTs of stolen artwork (like @NFTtheft) have thousands of followers and bring attention to this fraud.



The Twitter account @NFTtheft is run by an artist from the Bay Area artist who goes by "bor." They have stated via explicit messages that they prefer to stay anonymous because of the harassment directed at artists against non-fungible tokens.



Bor said that plagiarism is a recurring issue in the NFT space and will always be a factor. "As long as anyone can mint anything while remaining pseudonymous on an unregulated/decentralized technology, plagiarism is going to be a big problem."



It's a problem that marketplaces that sell, purchase, sell, or list NFTs are well aware. They're often not taking the necessary steps to address it. 30tt OpenSea and Rarible (a competitor to OpenSea) have established procedures for those who want to report stolen work. However, as artists frequently say it isn't always simple.



Many artists still consider it to be their only option.



OpenSea: How do you report a stolen NFT



Go to OpenSea's Help Center.



Click on the "How can we help?" drop-down menu. drop-down menu, choose "Intellectual Property Rights Violation / Takedown Request."





Enter your email address.





In the subject line in the subject line, in the subject line, type "fraudulent content."





In the "Description" field, add as much information as you can in proving that an OpenSea listing is actually just your artwork that you have posted without permission (include links). Define the images you've attached (see Step 6).





Include screenshots under "Attachments" of both where your artwork is actually online (presumably someone copied it before posting it on OpenSea). Also include the NFT listings.





Click "Submit."





Notably, OpenSea doesn't guarantee any results or guarantee that the company will return to you.



"When you submit a complaint, as a next step, our team will review the information to determine if it is in violation of our Terms of Service and will take action to remove it if it does," explains the company's Help Center. The ticket will be closed after it has been resolved. You may not receive any response from us.



How can I report a lost NFT via Rarible



Rarible is similar to OpenSea has a reporting procedure that allows users to report stolen artworks on its marketplace as NFTs for sale. To report stolen art in the form of NFTs on Rarible:



Once you have identified the NFT you are looking for, click the three dots in the upper-right corner.





Select the "Report" option.





Write down the claim that the work was stolen, and provide as many details as you can to prove your claim.





Click "Report".





Rarible can't promise that it will remove itself from the NFT. The company doesn't even promise it will get back to you - which makes artists' frustration all too acceptable.



How to stop plagiarized NFTs from being plagiarized?



While artists can report stolen NFTs directly on marketplaces that list them for sale, the problem of thieves profiting from the work of illustrators as well as musicians, designers, and other creators is not far from being resolved. According to the artist behind @NFTtheft's Twitter account problem is a systemic one and will require a systemic solution.



"Scammers are stealing from YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Deviant Art, Artstation, and even Minecraft fan forums," wrote bor. "If it's possible to download it, scammers will try to take it. Artists have less control than ever over their work.



Indeed, a quick look at Twitter shows hundreds of artists who are shocked and claim that someone has taken their work and, without having any knowledge of it, created and sold it as NFTs.



So what actions other than reporting plagiarized NFTs, can people who are unaware of this sometimes fraudulent market? If bor is right Non-fungible token true believers won't like the answer.


My Website: https://www.30tt.com/