p>You've been scammed.
/p>
p>Someone took your work and, without your consent they created a non-fungible token. The same scammer has put those NFTs of the stolen artwork for sale, and is raking in the undeserved profits. This is a depressingly frequent event, and thankfully, you don't have to be completely unrepentant - though getting your stolen artwork removed from massive NFT exchanges such as OpenSea? and Rarible isn't going to be easy.
/p>
p>Here's the other side to the hyped NFT coin. Plagiarized art and fake works dominate what was a $44 million market. The scourge is so prevalent, in fact, that in the month of January 2022, the self-described "world's largest and first NFT marketplace," OpenSea?, admitted that more than 80 percent of NFTs created using its free minting tool "were plagiarized work as well as fake collections and spam."
/p>
p>Artists are all too familiar with this less glamorous aspect of NFTs. Twitter accounts dedicated to exposing the minted NFTs of stolen artwork, such as @NFTtheft, have thousands of followers and draw attention to the all too frequent scam.
/p>
p>A Bay Area artist goes by the name "bor" and runs the @NFTtheft twitter account. They have stated via explicit messages that they prefer to remain anonymous because of the harassment directed at artists opposed to non-fungible tokens.
/p>
p>Bor wrote that plagiarism is an intractable issue in the NFT space and will always be a part 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."
/p>
p>It's an issue that marketplaces which allow people to 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, which is an OpenSea? competitor, have developed procedures for reporting stolen work - though as the artists themselves frequently mention that reporting theft of artwork isn't always an easy process.
/p>
p>Yet, many artists see it as their sole option.
/p>
p>OpenSea? How do I report a stolen NFT
/p>
p>Go to OpenSea?'s Help Center.
/p>
p>Under the "How can we help?" https://pubgqa.shop/ drop-down menu, choose "Intellectual Property Rights Violation Takedown Request."
/p>
p>
Enter your email address./p>
p>
In the subject line, write "fraudulent content."/p>
p>
In the "Description" field, add as much information as you can to prove that an OpenSea? listing is really just your work that you've posted without permission (include links). Explain the images that you've uploaded (see Step 6 below)./p>
p>
Under "Attachments," include screenshots both of the places your artwork actually lives online (presumably someone stumbled across it to copy it before posting it on OpenSea?) and the offenders NFT listings./p>
p>
Hit "Submit."/p>
p>
OpenSea? cannot guarantee any result or that the company will be back with you./p>
p>"When you submit a complaint, as a next step, our team will review the report to determine if it's in violation of our Terms of Service and will remove it if so," explains the company's Help Center. "Please note that following resolution the ticket will be closed and you might not hear back from us directly."
/p>
p>How do I report a stolen NFT via Rarible
/p>
p>Like OpenSea?, Rarible has a process by which users can submit reports of stolen artwork listed on its marketplace as NFTs for sale. To report stolen art in the form of NFTs on Rarible:
/p>
p>Once you've identified the NFT in question, click the three dots located in the upper-right corner.
/p>
p>
Select the "Report" option./p>
p>
Write down that the work is stolen, and provide as much detail as you can to back up your claim./p>
p>
Click "Report"./p>
p>
Importantly, Rarible does not promise it will delist the NFT in the case in. Artists' frustration is understandable given that the company doesn't promise to respond to them./p>
p>How to stop plagiarized NFTs
/p>
p>Although artists are able to report stolen NFTs directly on marketplaces that list them for sale, the issue of thieves making a profit from the work of illustrators as well as musicians, designers and other creators is not close to being solved. According to the artist behind the Twitter account @NFTtheft, the problem is a systemic one and will require an integrated solution.
/p>
p>"Scammers are stealing from YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Deviant Art, Artstation, and even Minecraft fan forums," wrote bor. "If it can be downloaded, scammers will try to take it. Artists have less control now than ever over their work.
/p>
p>Indeed, a quick glance at Twitter shows many artists who are stunned and say that someone has taken their work and, without having any knowledge of it, created and sold it as NFTs.
/p>
p>So what actions apart from reporting NFTs that are plagiarized, can those who have been unintentionally enticed into this sometimes fraudulent ecosystem take? True believers who are not fungible are not going to like the answer, if Bor is right.
/p>
