[CaptureClub] Duplicate NFTs

[ethanwu155]

Email inquiry regarding duplicate NFTs on CaptureClub => Posted to GitHub with permission from sender

Date: November 26, 2021

Hi,

I purchased an NFT from Market place today to understand the entire process...

While browsing the market place, i saw there is an exact replica of the picture that i bought by a different user ... so that replica must have its own unique ID and hence unique NFT.

Now my question is.. my art that i purchased is not unique because someone is selling a replica.. so one can create multiple accounts.. capture the original art with multiple cameras and get multiple NFT...possibly on multiple platforms..and for all you know he/she may not even be owner of the original Art ... I am curious whats your view on this? I already own $NUM crypto coin.. and now owner of an NFT... I want to understand this at a bit more deeper level before investing more.

From FAQ, it looks like you cannot solve the problem of "owner of original art" cannot be assured, which i understand.. but same picture multiple accounts.. multiple market places.. multiple NFT.. the uniqueness is lost, right?

┆Issue is synchronized with this Asana task by Unito

[ethanwu155]

Response (November 30, 2021)

Thanks so much for your interest in Numbers, CaptureClub and Capture APP. We completely understand that you want to understand how the technology works before investing more.

To answer your questions:

(1) Is the NFT you purchased unique?

The Numbers Protocol network registers assets with a unique hash ID from the contents of the photo (pixel data, etc.) This ensures that no two assets with the exact same content (exact same copies) can be registered twice in the network. From a purely tech perspective, assets with different asset ID’s are unique.

(2) Why there are same creations listing on CaptureClub?

After investigating the problem closely, we found those are indeed creations with different IDs, i.e. different content. We believe it’s the creator’s choice to do so.

(3) What’s our view on individuals utilizing multiple accounts to purchase original artwork with Capture APP, minting, and listing into marketplaces.

If we move away from the purely tech definition of “unique”, we would agree with you that the asset you have purchased is not unique as there are photos of the original piece of art. As capable as technology is in solving our problems, issues such as digital asset authenticity are complicated and people are always finding new ways to exploit them. This is why our technology focuses very heavily on “Content Provenance” (the ability to trace the history of an asset). Assets created with Capture APP are traceable because of contextual information created at birth and blockchain records. Users are given the means to check assets and verify their contents.

This brings us to the next and key part of our network which is the community. The future of our network will rely heavily on the contributions of the community not only to populate the network but to verify the uniqueness and trustworthiness of assets in the network.

You can read more about Verification here under the Verification Reward section: https://github.com/numbersprotocol/community-support/wiki/%5BUnder-Community-Review%5D-NUM-token-rewards-and-utilities

If you have questions about verification feel free to message us.

(4) Multiple accounts, multiple marketplaces, multiple NFT, means uniqueness is lost right?

You are correct to think that. That is why we work with NFT marketplaces to grow the adoption of Numbers Protocol. Photos registered with Numbers Protocol are guaranteed to have unique hash IDs from their pixel data. This nature makes it much easier to trace the history of photos and better chances to figure out that some NFTs are actually not unique. Even so, we still cannot guarantee that technology can solve all issues. That’s why the values of Numbers Protocol are human and community-focused. We will keep open discussion with the community, please do join us and provide your feedback.

[AKT4UnMe]

I too, purchased an NFT and have been using the app regularly and would like to ask follow up questions.

When I take a picture through the app it is unique because of the hash IDs. The image is listed on the market place and gets purchased. Pretty straightforward. But what prevents a screenshot of the same image from being uploaded using the “Add” feature?

I have used the add feature and it works well but it creates a loophole that undermines the “uniqueness” of the picture taken and it’s assigned hash ID.

You mention content provenance and tracing the history of an image but the add function allows for file with a “pre-history” to be added to the network.

Is the add function going to be a continued feature?

On a related note, you mention the reliance on the community to verify uniqueness, but would it be possible to create a comparative image search bot or AI that can vet the images submitted for verification helping prevent duplicate pictures?

[kennyhungQA]

This issue is no longer to be used, close it. Currently, the Capture service checks whether an asset already exists in our service. If so, we will add the "preexisting" tag to that asset to ensure other users know which one is the original.