NFTs and Copyright

“Can NFTs be copied?” ‍Since NFT ownership is verifiable with the use of blockchain technology, it’s easy to identify original collections from artists and weed out imposters. But, when it comes to NFTs and copyright law, things are definitely not as clear-cut. Creating/purchasing an NFT does not necessarily mean that you own the IP of the artwork or asset you have minted/bought. DC Comics is an excellent example, having written a letter to all of their authors (even freelancers) advising that the unauthorized use of their characters and IP in NFTs is forbidden. If you’re looking to actively prevent the replication or commercial utilization of your original work, the best bet is to ensure that you register your digital assets as copyrights, trademark your project name, and create a separate contract telling the buyer/seller what rights they receive and the limitations of those license rights. Of course, this is not a prerequisite for creating your collection and shouldn’t be seen as a barrier to entry. Upon creation, collections are assigned a policy ID that can be used to verify you as the creator if you discover someone is recreating and reselling your work. There are also new blockchain protocols like Sense, a Near-Duplicate NFT Detection Protocol powered by the Pastel Blockchain, that is being developed to quantify the rareness of NFTs that further proves authenticity.