Andreessen Horowitz Launches 'Can't Be Evil' Licenses to Help Plug NFT Copyright Confusion

With the launch, a16z hopes to foster deeper consideration amongst users on the legal end of the NFT spectrum.

Andreessen Horowitz Launches 'Can't Be Evil' Licenses to Help Plug NFT Copyright Confusion

Photo Credit: Reuters

The project is intended to make the NFT project's copyright license more explicit

Highlights
  • These licenses are meant to define what an NFT holder can and can’t do
  • Copyright has historically been ill-defined in the NFT space
  • The licenses are similar to those offered by Creative Commons
Advertisement

Venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz's (a16z) newly launched "Can't Be Evil" licenses aim to help non-fungible token (NFT) creators and collectors finally skip the legal literacy required to plan what they hope to do with their newly created or acquired NFTs. Inspired by the licenses offered by Creative Commons, the new licensing terms by a16z are available for any project creators to freely use and provide an array of different approaches for NFT projects, ranging from limited personal use terms to broader licenses that let anyone use the artwork for any purpose.

This is not only intended to make the NFT project's copyright license more explicit but remove potential copyright vulnerabilities that can potentially lead to legal consequences.

"Whereas currently many NFT holders have to trust creators and previous owners to make ‘not-evil' decisions regarding their NFTs, projects using ‘Can't Be Evil' licenses can make NFT ecosystems more trustless, providing holders with a minimum baseline of standard real-world rights, thereby harmonizing real-world ownership with on-chain ownership," the company's General Counsel, Miles Jennings and Chris Dixon, Founder, wrote in a blog post.

"By making the licenses easy (and free) to incorporate, we hope to democratize access to high-quality licenses and encourage standardization across the Web3 industry,” the authors wrote. “Greater adoption could lead to incredible benefits for creators, owners, and the NFT ecosystem as a whole."

While the idea of a massive VC firm guiding NFT licensing terms might not sit well with everyone in the room, it is worth noting that Andreessen Horowitz has tapped pseudonymous crypto influencer 'Punk6529' known for his valuable collection and insightful Twitter threads to help shape the licenses. It has also worked with law firms Latham & Watkins LLP and DLA Piper, as well as unspecified portfolio companies.

Copyright has been a topic of much discussion within the NFT space over the past few years, with quite a few instances of outcomes that have involved long, expensive lawsuits. NFT project founders like Yuga Labs and Larva Labs have been seen issuing cease-and-desist letters for derivative projects that bore a resemblance to their IP, including in June when Yuga filed suit against conceptual artist Ryder Ripps for founding a project too similar to its Bored Ape Yacht Club.


This week, we discuss Android 13 on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, not a legal tender and subject to market risks. The information provided in the article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any perceived recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

NASA Awards SpaceX Five More Crewed Mission to ISS Worth $1.4 Billion
AI-Generated Artwork Wins State Fair Art Contest, Internet Calls It "Death of Artistry"
Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat LinkedIn Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News

Advertisement

Follow Us
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »