Singular's Verification Guide: Navigating Plagiarism and Copyright
As an artist in the digital space, understanding the concept of plagiarism and the importance of creating original content is paramount. At Singular, our verification system is designed to ensure the authenticity and originality of your work. While we understand that we can't strictly regulate creativity, we've identified measures to establish a balance. This guide elaborates on our official stance on plagiarism, using the metric of percentage share of composition, and details the concept of degrees of originality.
Singular's official stance on plagiarism
When using third-party Intellectual Property (IP) in an original work, there are three main ways of implementation:
As a subject: IP accounts for over 45% of the composition. This is considered copying and making another artist's work the main focus of your creation.
As major support: IP represents 10-45% of the composition.
As minor support: IP covers less than 5% of the composition.
This approach leads to the concept of degrees of originality.
Degrees of originality
Purely original: A work created without any third-party IP.
Supported original: An original work created with third-party IP that either comes with the right permissions or is in the public domain. This includes creations where third-party IP is significantly altered to inspire a new work without directly copying the original IP.
Faux-original: Any supported original work lacking proper permissions, giving the illusion of originality. A faux-original can be rectified by obtaining the correct permissions.
Unoriginal: A direct copy of the original IP with minor to no alterations.
In the RMRK verification process, we aim to reject all unoriginal and faux-original art. The following sections detail our verification and unverification processes.
When we will verify
We will grant verification if:
The account requesting verification has at least 10 RMRK (subject to change through community governance).
The collection consists of over 5 minted artworks that don't infringe on any third-party IP.
Proof is provided that all works have been originally created by the artist. This can be through behind-the-scenes evidence, like sketches, or shots of the photoshop/blender/Lightroom workstation displaying different layers.
If third-party IP is present in the collection, the appropriate permissions have been acquired. This needs to be backed by receipts (contracts, sale receipts with stated permissions).
When we will deny verification (or unverify)
We will deny verification or unverify if:
We can't verify that the work is original.
The work is a faux-original - the artist may believe their work is original, but based on our assessment, it isn't.
New NFTs that plagiarize are added to the collection after it's been verified.
Conclusion
We acknowledge that plagiarism and copyright are complex issues. However, by following these principles: 1) avoid using third-party IP, and 2) if you do use third-party IP, acquire the right permissions or use IP in the public domain, you can navigate these challenges effectively. This guide intends to help maintain the integrity and originality of your creative endeavors on Singular. For further info on how to get your collection verified check our guide: https://learn.singular.app/how-to-use-singular/profile-and-collections/how-to-verify-your-collection
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