I was interested to read this article in the Times recently, as it is a cautionary tale of Copyright and other unregistered rights. A dispute seems to have arisen when stormtrooper helmets, which have been decorated by artists and photographers, have been turned into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), apparently without the artists' consent. Ownership of NFT's is generally recorded in an untamperable digital ledger. This verifiable ownership aspect can add value to the NFT.
There are a range of registered and unregistered rights for protecting artistic creations and designs, including Copyright, Design Right, and others. When using someone else's artistic creation, particularly when you change the way in which you use it, it is often advisable to ensure that there is a contract in place that specifies how you can use the artistic creation or design and to check that any change of use is permitted under the contract. In that way, there is clarity for all parties as wars with artistic stars are something that is best left in a galaxy far, far away.
The helmets, which have been decorated by artists and photographers....., have been turned into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) without artists' consent.....
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/star-war-brews-over-digit
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