You've been ripped off.
Someone stole your art and turned it into an un-fungible object without your permission. The same fraudster has put those NFTs of your plagiarized art for sale, and is taking in the undeserved profits. This is a depressingly frequent situation, and thankfully you're not completely without recourse - though getting your stolen art removed 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 artworks and plagiarized artwork dominate the $44 billion market. The scourge is so prevalent, in fact, that in the month of January 2022, the self-described "world's largest and the first NFT marketplace," OpenSea, admitted that more than 80 percent of NFTs that were minted using its no-cost minting tool "were plagiarized work as well as fake collections and spam."
Artists are well-aware of the less glamorous aspects to NFTs. Twitter accounts dedicated to exposing the minted NFTs of stolen artwork, such as @NFTtheft, have a large number of followers. They also draw attention to the all too frequent fraud.
A Bay Area artist goes by the name "bor" and is the administrator of the @NFTtheft twitter account. They stated in a direct message that they prefer to stay pseudonymous because of discrimination against artists who are who are opposed to tokens that are non-fungible.
"I want to stress that plagiarism is an unsolvable issue in the NFT space that will continue to be a part of it," wrote bor. "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 an issue that marketplaces where people list, buy and sell NFTs are well aware of. They are often unable to take the necessary steps to deal with the issue. Both OpenSea and Rarible, another OpenSea competitor, have established ways for people to report stolen works - but the artists themselves often mention that reporting stolen NFTs artwork isn't always a simple procedure.
Many artists view it as their sole option.
OpenSea How do I report an allegedly stolen NFT
Go to the Help Center.
Under the "How can we help?" Drop-down menu, choose "Intellectual Property Rights Violation/Takedown Request."
Enter your email address.
In the subject line in the subject line, enter "fraudulent content."
In the "Description" section In the "Description" section, give as much detail as you can to show that an OpenSea listing is simply your work that you've posted without permission (include hyperlinks). Define the images you've included (see Step 6).
the robinson music
Include screenshots under "Attachments" of both locations your art is actually located online (presumably someone copied it prior to posting it on OpenSea). Also include the NFT listings.
Click "Submit."
Notably, OpenSea cannot guarantee any outcome or guarantee that the company will respond to you.
"When you submit a complaint, our team will review the report and determine if it's in violation of our Terms of Service. If it does we will take it off," says the company's Help Center. The ticket will be closed once it has been solved. It is possible that you will not receive a response from us.
How can I report a lost NFT via Rarible
Rarible like OpenSea has a reporting process that allows users to report stolen artwork on its marketplace as NFTs available for sale. To report stolen art in the form of NFTs on Rarible:
Once you've identified the NFT you're looking for, click the three dots that are located in the upper-right corner.
Select the "Report" option.
Write down the claim that the work was stolen, and provide as details as you can to back up your claim.
Hit "Report."
Importantly, Rarible does not promise it will remove the NFT in question. Artists' displeasure is understandable since the company doesn't promise to respond to them.
How do you stop plagiarized NFTs
Although artists are able to report stolen NFTs directly to marketplaces offering them for sale, the problem of thieves making a profit from the work of illustrators as well as designers, musicians and other creators isn't near being resolved. According to the artist behind @NFTtheft's Twitter account issue is systemic and requires an overall solution.
"Scammers are stealing from YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Deviant Art, Artstation, and even Minecraft fan forums," wrote bor. "If it is able to be downloaded the scammers will try to take it. Artists have less control now than ever over their creations.
A quick look at Twitter shows that a lot of artists are shocked that someone else has taken their work and, without knowledge, minted it and sold it as NFTs.
What other steps can those who are unaware of being dragged into this sometimes fraudulent atmosphere do, other than notifying NFTs that are plagiarized? If bor is right Non-fungible token true believers won't like the solution.