DC Comics, the American comic book publisher, may enter the non-fungible token (NFT) ecosystem in the future. The company is the oldest comic book publisher in the United States, with 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 that said “DC is exploring opportunities” to enter the NFT market economy.
‘DC is exploring opportunities to distribute and sell original DC digital art with NFTs’
A DC Comics letter was revealed from a report from Rob Bricken of Gizmodo i09 that shows that the American comic book publisher is exploring blockchain technology and, more specifically, non-fungible token (NFT) assets. The popular company also doesn’t want freelance artists to auction DC Comics’ intellectual property (IP) NFTs.
NFT technology has become so popular that the trend or search term “NFT” has reached the highest point it can in Google Trends statistical data. The letter authored by DC Comics’ senior vice president for legal affairs, Jay Kogan, is a direct communication to freelance artists and apparently warns them not to create DC Comics-owned characters through NFTs.
“Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are becoming the newest fan collectibles and have generated great repercussions in the digital media,” explains Kogan’s letter. “DC is exploring opportunities to enter the market for the distribution and sale of original DC digital art with NFTs, including new art created specifically for the NFT market, as well as original digital art rendered for DC comic publications.”
The letter adds:
As DC examines the complexities of the NFT market and we work on a reasonable and fair solution for all parties involved, including fans and collectors, please note that the offer to sell any digital images with DC intellectual property with or without NFTs, is provided for DC publications or provided outside the scope of a contractual commitment to DC, it is not permitted.
DC employees and freelancers must contact DC Comics talent services 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 images from DC or any artist in that regard. Days before the Gizmodo i09 editorial, comic book artist José Delgo sold an NFT collection with a Wonder Woman theme via Makersplace. Delgo has been well known for drawing Wonder Woman and other characters for DC comics for over 30 years.
Kogan’s letter emphasizes that if any DC employees or freelancers are approached about making NFT art with DC characters in their work, they should report “Lawrence Ganem, DC VP, Talent Services”.
“We hope that the participation of DC’s freelance talent will be an integral component of the NFT program that DC implements,” concludes the letter. “We will share more information as it becomes available and we appreciate your cooperation and partnership.”
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