How to Report Plagiarized NFTs as Stolen Art

You''ve been ripped off.

Someone stole your work and made it an un-fungible object without your consent. The same scammer is now selling NFTs of the stolen artwork and earning lots of money. This is a depressingly frequent event, and thankfully, you''re not entirely out of options - although getting your stolen artwork removed from huge NFT exchanges such as OpenSea and Rarible isn''t going to be easy.

Here''s the other side to the popular NFT coin. Plagiarized art and fake works dominate what was in 2021 the market was worth $44 million. The problem is so prevalent that in January of 2022 the self-described "world''s largest and the first NFT marketplace," OpenSea, admitted that more than 80 percent of NFTs minted using its free minting tool "were plagiarized works or fake collections. They also included spam."

Artists are aware of the less glamorous aspects of NFTs. Twitter accounts that expose NFTs of stolen artwork (like @NFTtheft) have thousands of followers and draw attention to this scam.

A Bay Area artist goes by the name "bor" and runs the Twitter account @NFTtheft. They explained over an email that they prefer to stay pseudonymous because of harassment directed at artists who are opposed to tokens that are non-fungible.

Bor said that plagiarism is a recurring problem 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 an issue that marketplaces where people list, buy, and sell NFTs are aware of. The measures they take to combat it, however, often fall short. Both OpenSea and Rarible which is an OpenSea competitor, have set up procedures for reporting stolen work - though as the artists themselves frequently insist, reporting NFTs of stolen artwork isn''t always an easy procedure.

Many artists believe that it is their only choice.

OpenSea: How do you report an allegedly stolen NFT

OpenSea''s Help Center is available.

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

In the "Description" field, add as much detail as possible documenting that an OpenSea listing is in fact your artwork posted without permission (include hyperlinks). Please describe the images you''ve attached (see Step 6).

Under "Attachments," include screenshots of both where your work actually is online (presumably someone stumbled across it to copy and paste it into OpenSea) and the offending NFT listings.

Click "Submit."

OpenSea can''t guarantee any results or that the company will get back with you.

"When you file a report our team will go through the collection and determine if it is in violation of our Terms of Service. If it does, we will remove it," says the company''s Help Center. Your ticket will be closed when it is completed. You may not receive a response from us.

How can I report a stolen NFT on Rarible

Like OpenSea, Rarible has a procedure that allows users to submit reports of stolen artwork that is listed on its marketplace as NFTs available for sale. To report stolen art in the form of NFTs on Rarible:

Once you have located 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 is possible to support your claim.

Hit "Report."

Rarible cannot assure you that it will not be removed from the NFT. Artists'' displeasure is understandable as Rarible does not promise to respond to them.

How can you stop plagiarized NFTs from being plagiarized?

Despite the fact that artists can report stolen NFTs directly to the marketplaces listing them, the problem of thieves making money off the work of illustrators, designers, musicians, and other creators isn''t close to being solved. According to the artist behind @NFTtheft''s Twitter account, the issue is systemic and requires an overall solution.
Minecraft

"Scammers are stealing from YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Deviant Art, Artstation, and even Minecraft fan forums," wrote bor. "If it is available for download and then accessed by scammers, they will attempt to steal it. Artists are less in control of their work than they ever did before."

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

So what actions apart from notifying NFTs plagiarized, could people who are unaware of this sometimes fraudulent market? True believers who are not fungible will not like the answer, if Bor is correct.