NFT litigation: Shaping IP rights in the metaverse

This article discusses recent and pending litigation involving non-fungible tokens. Throughout history, whenever technology changes the nature of what consumers buy and/or the way in which they access information and products, intellectual property ("IP") law is forced to adjust. Usually, a combination of market forces and IP law (either as modified by Congress or applied by courts) re-establishes the proprietary nature of IP. Recent examples include the photocopier, the Internet, peer-to-peer file sharing services like Napster and Limewire — and now, non-fungible tokens ("NFTs").