So you've been ripped off.
Someone took your art and, with your permission, minted it as an intangible token. The same fraudster has listed the NFTs of the stolen artwork for sale, and is taking in the ill-gotten gains. This is a tragic and frequent event. There are fortunately options. However, it's not simple to get your stolen artwork removed on major NFT exchanges like OpenSea or Rarible.
Welcome to the opposite side of the highly-hyped NFT coin where fake artworks and plagiarized art rule the 2021 $44 billion market. The scourge is so prevalent, in fact, that in January of 2022 the self-described "world's largest and first NFT marketplace," OpenSea, admitted that more than 80 percent of the NFTs that were minted using its no-cost minting tool "were copied works or fake collections. They also included spam."
Artists 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 draw attention to this scam.
A Bay Area artist goes by the name "bor" and manages the @NFTtheft twitter account. They have stated via direct message that they prefer to remain anonymous because of the intimidation directed at artists who are who are opposed to tokens that are non-fungible.
"I would like to emphasize that plagiarism is an unsolvable issue in the NFT space that will never go away. 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 a problem that marketplaces, where people list, buy and sell NFTs are well aware of. The actions they take to address it, however, often aren't enough. OpenSea and Rarible (a competitor to OpenSea) have established processes for people who wish to report stolen work. However, as artists often point out it isn't always straightforward.
Many artists believe that it is their only alternative.
How to report a stolen NFT on OpenSea
Go to OpenSea's 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, 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). Explain the images that you've uploaded (see Step 6 below).
Include screenshots under "Attachments" of both the places your artwork actually is online (presumably someone copied it before posting it on OpenSea). Also include the NFT listings.
Hit "Submit."
However, OpenSea does not guarantee any results or even guarantee that the company will respond to you.
"When you make a report, as a next step, our team will review the information to determine if it is in violation of our Terms of Service and will remove it if so," explains the company's Help Center. "Please note that following resolution your ticket will be closed and you might not hear back from us directly."
How do I report a stolen NFT via Rarible
Rarible like OpenSea has a reporting process that allows users to report stolen artworks on its marketplace as NFTs that are available for sale. Rarible lets you report stolen art as NFTs.
Once you have located the NFT in question click the three dots in the upper-right corner.
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Select the "Report" option.
Write that the work was stolen, and provide as much detail as is possible backing up your claim.
Hit "Report."
Rarible cannot guarantee that it will delist the NFT. Artists' frustration is understandable given that Rarible doesn't guarantee to respond to them.
How to stop plagiarized NFTs
While artists can report stolen NFTs directly to marketplaces that list them for sale, the issue of thieves making money from the work of illustrators and musicians, designers, and other creators isn't near being resolved. According to the artist who created the Twitter account @NFTtheft, the issue is a systemic one and will require a systemic solution.
"Scammers are stealing content 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 now than ever over their creations.
A quick look at Twitter shows that many artists are shocked to discover that someone has taken their work and, without knowledge, created it and sold it to NFTs.
What other actions can those who are unwittingly being sucked into this sometimes fraudulent atmosphere take, besides reporting NFTs plagiarized? True believers who are not fungible will not like the answer, if Bor is correct.
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