Conference Presentation: Cryptokitties, Art Tokens And Bored Apes In The Metaverse: How Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) Challenge Australian Copyright Law And Proprietary Notions Of Ownership During An Age Of Disruption

Description

The post-COVID-19 era is an age of disruption, which presents significant social, cultural and technological challenges and opportunities for society at large. There has been substantial wealth generation fuelled from digital currencies, which has led to massive growth, interest and sales of Non-Fungible Tokens (‘NFTs’) attached to digital art in the metaverse.

This presentation will examine the growth and hype about artistic NFTs in the context of recent years. It will then examine the application of current Australian copyright laws to such NFTs to determine how copyright law is likely to protect this type of digital artwork and what constitutes infringement of these works. The notion of what it means to ‘own’ an NFT will be examined.

When applying traditional proprietary notions of ownership to NFTs, it will be seen that these digital assets have the capacity to challenge established norms which have evolved in a material, pre-technological world.

Finally, this presentation will ponder the question as to whether a new type of virtual ownership right ought to be developed for future NFTs and digital assets in the metaverse.

Period	14 Nov 2022
Event title	2022 Conference of the Asia Pacific Copyright Association: Copyright in the Age of Disruption
Event type	Conference
Location	Singapore, SingaporeShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International