#008 — NFT: We Need Ethical Rules

9 min readSep 20, 2021

Fake accounts, fake artists, copy and paste of works downloaded from the web, the same NFTs sold on several different platforms, supposedly unique editions “minted” several times: we really need ethical rules. This activity is brand new, not only on Bitclout but also on other platforms so the legal framework for regulating creations and sales is currently lacking. Hopefully, Bitclout administrators will be keen to put rules in place to limit cheating.

Fortunately, there are also many talented artists who act with fair play. We will present a selection to you in each issue of CloutZine.

An NFT creator who masquerades as a famous artist

A Bitclout member named @vangoth_ncl has impersonated a famous artist to create NFTs.

The original designs are created by an artist named vangoth_ncl The original designs are created by an artist named vangoth_ncl based in New Castle, UK, who has 13,200 followers on Instagram.

The artist has confirmed that he does not have a Bitclout account and that the only platform he uses for his NFTs is Opensea.

Vangoth: « Hey philippe, yeah no thats not me at all ha thanks for letting me know its up there, the only platform I use is opensea so the bitclout account is unfortunately not me at all just someone that’s posing as myself. »

AndoraArt sells NFTs created by other artists

@AndoraArt describes him/herself as an artist living in Barcelona, Spain. However, he/she does sell NFTs created by other artists and for sale on other platforms.

On the left the NFT sold by @AndoraArt. On the right, the NFT created by Gala Marissa, for sale on Markersplace.

On the left the NFT sold by @AndoraArt. On the right, the NFT created by Dunja Jung, for sale on Makersplace.

On the left the NFT sold by @AndoraArt. On the right the NFT created by Ruslan Bolgov, for sale on Makersplace.

A « Unique” NFT Sold Several Times

The value of an NFT depends greatly on its rarity. A single edition is much more valuable than a multiple edition of the same image.

Yet, we have seen some artists mint a single NFT from an image and then mint other NFTs from the same image. It’s a bad surprise when a buyer realizes that their NFT which they thought as “unique” was made in multiple copies.

It’s a mishap that has happened twice to @PhilippeMeunier: “When I contacted the creators, one of them agreed to reimburse me for part of the price paid and the other refused, saying, “where is it written that it is forbidden to do that.”

In fact, when a creator mints an NFT, he has the choice, in the configuration, between “Single edition” and “Multiple edition”. If he wants to create multiple NFTs of the same image, he has to choose “Multiple edition”. This way potential customers know that there are several copies of the same NFT, numbered # 1, # 2, # 3, etc. and therefore it will not be as rare as a single edition.

So it is not fair to create multiple “unique” editions from the same image that will all be numbered # 1.

The Same NFT Sold On Multiple Platforms

It also happens that a creator mints the same image on several different NFT platforms. Making this NFT lose its rarity and a large part of its resale value. Of course, when buyers find out, they seek redress from the seller, and the reputation of the creator is tarnished.

The same NFT sold on two different platforms: on the left on Solana, on the right on Bitclout.

This cheating was denounced by @FUCKEDUPCATS after realizing that the same NFT was for sale on Bitclout and on Solana.

Le créateur a commencé par se défendre en disant que ses acheteurs étaient au courant, puis il a fini par reconnaître sa faute et a promis de dédommager ses 16 acheteurs.

SOME ARTISTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

@Knights_of_Clout

« Hi, my name is Duncan Wilson and I’m based in the United Kingdom (just outside Southampton).

- Are you a professional artist?

Yes, my day job is as a Head of Design for a development company specialising in Identity and Access Management. I have a small team of visual and UX designers that I work with to build products. I trained as a fine artist so I consider my personal projects to be ‘professional’ practice as well. I try and hold those up to the same standards as the work I produce in my daytime role.

- When did you start drawing?

I think I really got into it around seven or eight years of age. I can remember filling cheap supermarket sketchbooks with comic strips. Most of them were centred around giant robots fighting in space. I discovered the British comic 2000AD around the same time which really inspired me to keep drawing.

- What’s your background in terms of art?

I trained in Fine Art specialising in Visual Research, this was focused on time-based media such as film, photography and at that time the new area of digital art. After leaving college I moved into ‘New Media’ designing online content for some well established entertainment properties. From there I worked for a while as a game designer before moving into the IAM space.

- How would you define your NFT style?

I think the Knights of Clout project is quite a graphic, clean cartoon style. It’s something I’ve perfected over the years. I think the style is very narrative driven. It lends itself to animation and other forms of IP development.

- Do you have projects of new NFTs you plan to create?

I’m very committed to expanding the Knights of Clout further. It’s very early days with them with lots of scope not just for new characters but also for new types of mechanisms in which to deploy them — and to expand their universe. I’m in the early days of working out a trading card mechanic for them. It would be amazing for Knight owners to use and modify their character through a TCG platform. I think the BitClout platform is the perfect place for those kinds of opportunities.

@Foxen

« My name is Meredith Marsone and I’m the creator and artist behind Foxen.

- Are you a professional artist? I’m a professional artist working in oil paint but more recently pixels! Since becoming involved with NFTs Foxen has been a project of love and enthusiasm with @JDArmstrong along for ride as Foxen’s writer. Together we create a character able to visit different people of Bitclout and make tongue in cheek commentary about the current goings-on around the platform.

Other projects. I am currently drawing a derivative for Frogland.io Notorious Artistes on Opensea and have a few other things on the boil in the background. The life of an NFT artist is wide and varied once you get involved in a few communities. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities coming my way. »

Meredith also has a personal account — @MeredithMarsone — where she presents her paintings of which she does NFTs. See article on CloutZine #007.

@Arkham

« My name is Arkham. I am from Florida, USA.

I am not a professional artist, it’s what I like to do as a passion or hobby.
I started scribbling since the first year of my university via some graphic tools.
No background as an artist, just randomly had an interest so I tried it out.
I don’t practise a specific style, I like to make NFTs that are of people’s interest and adds fun to the community.
One of which is @ballsies.

@CompulsiveDoodler

« I go by K.M. and I am based in Maine, USA.

I am not a professional artist, but am a professional doodler. I have been doing this since I was able to hold a crayon. My art background has been in cards and concert posters for bands I was acquainted with.

My inspiration is whatever is in the moment. Doodles are free flowing.
There may be some collaborations with other BitClout users in the future.
Nothing doodled in stone at the moment. »

@NataliArt

« Everything starts with coffee, it’s my passion.

My name is Natali. I have my own online shop selling coffee and organic products in Ukraine.

I love photography, I’m not a professional artist myself and I’ve never been. I just tried to do a 3D portrait, and when @Craig bought my prints, I thought if someone like that bought my work, maybe others will like my art. I am very grateful to him for that.

Today is my 168th day on BitClout and I have two projects here:

- @kavilshop is my coffee account;
- @NATALIART is an NFT and charity project.

Now 3 of my nfts are in top BitClouters: @Craig, @TiffanyATrump, @Dharmesh @MechellLord and you can check them in their gallery. I am so grateful for their appreciation of my art. It means a lot to me.

@NATALIART is not only an NFT project, but I am also embracing a charity. I send 10% of the sale of each NFT to charity. My dream is to scale the charity on BitClout.

I’m constantly thinking of new nft ideas every day, and I plan to open another project in the near future. »

@Puppetie

« Hi! My name is Miguel, a college student and I’m from the Philippines. »

- Are you the artist who draws your NFTS?

« I draw all my NFTs. Sometimes, I also incorporate some suggestions from my friends and family in my artwork. »

- What’s your background in terms of art?

« My older brother and my cousin are into portrait sketching and simply adore them when I was a child. I used to draw cartoon characters on the back of my notebook when I was in gradeshool. Then my friend pursuaded me to join bitclout as I can post my artworks and gain supporters. Joining bitclout motivates to improve my skills in art. »

- How came the idea/inspiration of your NFT series?

« One of my favorite past time is to watch puppetry videos online and I came to this idea of turning my favorite cartoon/anime characters into puppet-looking digital art. »

- Do you have projects of new NFTS ?

« I plan to focus on this project for now as I’m also a little busy with my studies, but, I do have other ideas in mind that I can hopefully share in the future. »