The theft of art has existed since the dawn of time. An artist who is willing to share their work in a public forum always runs the risk of someone stealing it and profiting from it.
The NFT provides artists with a unique way of marketing their work while also preventing them from being stolen. Despite this, several cases have been reported of NFTs being taken or duplicated without the author’s explicit permission.
What exactly can you do to protect your digital art? Here is a list of five steps you can take.
1. Trade Only On Established Marketplaces
While there are various NFT markets available, it is crucial that you only trade in established and highly regarded markets. NFT marketplaces that are of the highest quality go above and beyond to authenticate user identities and provide a safe platform where buyers and sellers can exchange NFTs securely.
OpenSea, for example, is a leading NFT marketplace that allows you to purchase and trade NFTs from a variety of popular manufacturers. The platform even lets you create your own NFT from scratch. Whenever an NFT changes ownership, OpenSea shows a history of ownership.
2. Copyright Your Art
It is imperative to remember that there are some instances where NFT criminals simply create digital copies of your artwork and sell them online. It is easiest to prevent this from happening by copyrighting your work, which restricts it from being distributed or reproduced illegally.
As far as the artwork is concerned, it’s important that you clarify in the description that you own exclusive rights to the work and intend to make use of it. For instance, if you do not want your artwork to be used for a specific reason, you can specify that in your artwork.
You can approach NFT marketplace and request they remove your artwork from their platform if you notice your art being sold online.
3. Add Watermark
Your best defense against NFT theft is to use a watermark. If you’re selling online, only sell to genuine bidders. It’s easy to verify the validity online even if they decide to resell.
Your watermark should be translucent and cover the whole image. This is a simple, but highly effective way to protect your art.
4. Make Sure People Know How To Contact You
Make it easy for people to get in touch with you. They’re more likely to ask permission to use your stuff if you make it convenient for them. When you don’t want to give permission, deny it respectfully and without putting yourself in the way of the consumer.
Additionally, if your art is misused by someone, many good people can contact you and inform you about it.
5. Carefully Examine Each Deal
Scammers often rely on people’s hopes and inexperience to pull off their scams, depending on a very specific technique. Online art purchases and sales should generally be done with caution.
Whenever you’re making a purchase, be cautious, especially if it’s through an online marketplace. Check the user’s rating or their entire transaction history before making a decision.
Where Can You Buy Authentic Art?
Due to the rapid growth of the market, there are many platforms claiming to have solved the problem of originality. With technological advancement, it has become much easier to embrace such art online and to check its authenticity as well.
RtistiQ, an online art and artist marketplace, utilizes blockchain technology and NFC technologies to solve these issues that have been affecting such art and artists for years. Through the implementation of blockchain and NFC on its platform, it addresses challenges such as lack of transparency in the art market, counterfeiting, infringement of copyrights, untraceable provenance, and overdue royalties.
By offering a safe, transparent environment for transactions driven by passion, RtistiQ empowers both artists and collectors alike. With the addition of Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence, the art experience is multiplied.
