Notes

How to Identify Plagiarized NFTs as Stolen Art

You've been scammed.



Someone stole your work and turned it into an intangible token without your permission. The same fraudster has listed those NFTs of your stolen art for sale, and is taking in the undeserved profits. This is a sad and regular occurrence. Fortunately, you have options. However, it is difficult to get your stolen artwork removed on major NFT exchanges such as OpenSea or Rarible.



Here's the flip side of the popular NFT coin. Plagiarized art and fake works dominate what was the market was worth $44 million. The problem is so widespread that in the month of January 2022, the self-described "world's first and largest NFT marketplace," OpenSea, admitted that more than 80 percent of NFTs minted using its free minting tool "were plagiarized works, fake collections, and spam."



Artists are well-aware of the less glamorous aspects to NFTs. Twitter accounts that expose NFTs of stolen artwork (like @NFTtheft) have thousands of followers and make a point of highlighting this scam.



The Twitter account @NFTtheft is managed by an Bay Area artist who goes by the name of "bor." They stated that they prefer anonymity because of the harassment directed at artists who oppose non-fungible tokens.



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



It is a problem that marketplaces that allow people to buy, sell, and list NFTs are well aware of. The measures they take to combat the problem, however, often fall short. OpenSea and Rarible (a competitor to OpenSea) have established processes for those who want to report stolen work. However, as artists often point out, reporting NFTs isn't always straightforward.



Yet, many artists see it as their only recourse.



How can I report a lost NFT on OpenSea



Visit OpenSea's Help Center.



Under the "How can we assist you?" drop-down menu, choose "Intellectual Property Rights Violation / Takedown Request."





Enter your email address.





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





In the "Description" section, provide as much detail as you can to demonstrate that an OpenSea listing is only your artwork posted without permission (include hyperlinks). Define the images you've attached (see Step 6 below).





Under "Attachments," include screenshots of both where your work actually is on the internet (presumably someone found it to copy before posting on OpenSea) and the offenders NFT listings.





Hit "Submit."





It is important to note that OpenSea does not guarantee any results or even guarantee that the company will return to you.
Cohune


"When you make a report, as a next step the team will look over the report to determine if it's in violation of our Terms of Service and will take action to remove it if it does," explains the company's Help Center. Your ticket will be closed once it has been resolved. You may not receive a response from us.



How do you report a stolen NFT on Rarible



Rarible, like OpenSea has a reporting procedure that lets users report stolen artworks on its marketplace as NFTs available for sale. Rarible allows you to report stolen artwork as NFTs.



Once you have identified the NFT in question , click the three dots at the upper-right corner.





Select the "Report" option.





Write that the work is stolen, and provide as much detail as possible to back up your claim.





Hit "Report."





Importantly, Rarible does not promise it will remove the NFT in question. Artists' displeasure is understandable as Rarible doesn't guarantee to get back to them.



How do you stop plagiarized NFTs



Although artists are able to report stolen NFTs directly on the marketplaces listing them for sale, the issue of thieves making money from the work of illustrators and designers, musicians, and other creators isn't far from being resolved. According to the artist who created @NFTtheft's Twitter account, the problem is a systemic one and will require an overall solution.



"Scammers are stealing content from YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Deviant Art, Artstation, and even Minecraft fan forums," wrote bor. "If it can be downloaded and then accessed by scammers, they will attempt to steal it. Artists have less control over their work than they ever had before."



A quick look on Twitter shows that a lot of artists are shocked that someone has taken their work and, with no knowledge, minted it and then sold it as NFTs.



What other steps can those who are knowingly being dragged into this often fraudulent world do, other than reporting NFTs plagiarized? If Bor is right the non-fungible token true believers won't be happy with the answer.


Here's my website: https://cohune.com/