Does owning an NFT mean I own the artwork?

Usually not. The smart contract records one thing: which wallet holds which token ID. The image itself often lives somewhere else, and any rights to use it come from a separate license, if the project published one.

What the contract gives you

• A record that your address holds the token
• The ability to transfer it to another address
• A pointer, called a token URI, to a description of the item

What it usually doesn’t give you

• Copyright in the artwork
• A right to print, sell or adapt the image, unless a license says so
• A guarantee that the linked file will stay online

Where to look

Find the project’s written terms. Some grant personal display only. Some grant commercial use. Some say nothing, which leaves you with very little. If the terms matter to you, read them before you buy, not after.

General information only. Nothing here is financial, legal or investment advice. For more, see how NFT contracts work.

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