DC Comics, the American comic book publisher, could enter the non-fungible token (NFT) ecosystem in the future. The company is the oldest comic book publisher in the United States and owns characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. In a letter dated March 11, 2021, DC Comics’ Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs wrote a letter to freelancers saying, “DC is exploring opportunities” for entry into the NFT market economy.
“DC Investigates Ways to Distribute and Sell Original DC Digital Art Using NFTs”
A letter from DC Comics was revealed from a report by Rob Bricken of Gizmodo i09 showing that the American comic book publisher is investigating blockchain technology and, in particular, NFT (non-fungible token) assets. The popular company also doesn’t want freelance artists to auction off DC Comics’ intellectual property (IP) NFTs.
NFT technology has become so popular that the trend, or search term, “NFT” has reached the highest point in Google Trends statistics. The letter written by Jay Kogan, Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs at DC Comics, is a direct communication to freelance artists, apparently warning them not to create DC Comics-owned characters through NFT’s.
“Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are becoming the latest fan collectibles and have generated significant press and buzz in the digital space,” explains Kogan’s letter. “DC is looking for ways to use NFTs to enter the market for the distribution and sale of original DC digital art, including new art created specifically for the NFT market as well as original digital art rendered for DC’s comic book releases has been.”
The letter adds:
As DC researches the complexities of the NFT market and we are working on a sensible and fair solution for all parties involved, including fans and collectors, please note that the offer for sale of digital intellectual property images from DC is with or without NFTs, regardless of this, it is not permitted to be rendered for publications by DC or outside the scope of the contractual obligation to DC.
DC employees and freelancers should contact DC Comics’ Talent Services first before engaging in NFTs with licensed DC material
The letter can be a direct warning to DC employees and freelancers who have already issued Non Fungible Token (NFT) assets with DC images or other artists. Days before the editorial for Gizmodo i09, comic artist José Delgo sold an NFT collection on the theme of Wonder Woman through Makersplace. Delgo is known for drawing Wonder Woman and other characters for DC Comics over 30 years ago.
Kogan’s letter stresses that DC employees or freelancers who are approached about their NFT art with DC characters in their work must notify “Lawrence Ganem, DC vice president, Talent Services.”
“We expect that the participation of DC’s freelance talent will be an integral part of the NFT program that DC is launching,” the letter concludes. “We will provide more information as it becomes available and we appreciate your collaboration and partnership.”
What do you think of DC Comics’ warning letter to employees and freelancers about NFTs? Let us know what you think on this matter in the comments section below.
Tags in this story
Batman, DC Comics, DC Comics NFTs, DC Freelance Talent, Freelancer, Intellectual Property, IP, Jay Kogan, José Delgo, Lawrence Ganem, NFT Economy, NFT Ecosystem, NFTs, Non-Fungible Tokens, Super Man, Wonder Woman
Photo credit: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
