Are NFTs aiding digital art theft?
Over time, non-fungible tokens have experienced a massive boom, becoming one of the most talked-about trends in the crypto space. Albeit offering digital artists and celebrities an opportunity to gain from their work, there have been stories of artists selling off artworks that do not belong to them on various NFT marketplaces, hence begging the question; are NFTs aiding digital art theft?
While there is no correct answer to this question, there are cases that suggest this new trend may actually be aiding this infamous act.
Loish, a freelance digital artist who's been creating artworks for over 15 years is the latest of artists to complain of digital art theft. According to a recent tweet from the artist, her artworks were put up for auction on the Twinci marketplace.
Heads up: there are NFTs of my art being sold on @twinciio without my consent. Artists, check if your art is on there too & contact/report if you can!
— Loish (@loishh) April 18, 2021
Any NFT you will find featuring my work is being sold without my permission. Please do not buy them. pic.twitter.com/e6TJKp3ri3
The artwork, according to the artist, was put up for auction without her permission. Urging her followers not to buy these artworks, Loisha has called on the marketplace to stop the ongoing sale.
At the time of publication, Twinci is yet to issue a statement. Surprisingly, this is not the first time something of this nature is happening on the marketplace. According to another Twitter user, the artwork of Qinni, a digital artist who passed away earlier last year is currently on sale on Twinci, unbeknownst to her family.
I also found artworks by Qinni (@QinniArt) who passed away last year... Unless this is one of her relatives (which I doubt tremendously) this is beyond disrespectful and downright disgusting... can’t report that either, always getting an error message. pic.twitter.com/TxxbqBoaxI
— Kirii ❄️ (@kiriiartworks) April 18, 2021