NFT.NYC took place last week. Despite the current NFT market downturn, over 15,000 people attended the event which is up more than 5000 people from last year. During the conference the second annual NFT Awards took place.

Many of the most notable artists and collections took home awards.

● The award for "Best NFT Artist" went to XCOPY.

● Takashi Murakami, won the "Best Traditional Artist Turned NFT Artist" and his Flower Seed collection won the award for "Highest Volume Collection from Asia."

● Beeple won "Best Established NFT Artist."

●  The digital horse-racing platform Zed Run won "Top Collection by Transactions."

● My Curio Cards won "Top Art Collection by Volume."

● Bored Ape yacht club received the awards of "Top Collectibles Collection by Volume," "Most Innovative NFT Project" and "Best NFT Business Model." [1]

The NFT.NYC conference also hosted the world’s largest private collection of ancients arms and armor. The Ancient Arms collection included more than 6,000 artifacts from a collector who has remained anonymous. Attendees were able to physically handle the weapons and armor as well as purchase NFTs of the artifacts. A nearby QR code could also be scanned to describe the artifact, show fine details that make the item unique, and make the item appear to be floating on the user’s phone using augmented reality(AR).

Even though these objects are no longer on display, there is still an opportunity to experience them in augmented reality (AR) and to purchase a digital version of the item as an NFT. The NFT versions of these objects were created by the organization the Knights Who Say Nah, who spearheaded the event and will use the proceeds to support museums and cultural institutions. Those who purchase the NFT versions of the artifacts will have the option to vote on whether the physical pieces are donated or auctioned and how the proceeds will be used. [2]

A Snoop Dogg impersonator wearing a fake mustache and a name tag labeled "Doop Snoog," was in attendance at the NFT.NYC conference. Doop Snogg, who is a professional Snoop Dogg impersonator, was hired by The NFT start-up Fair.xyz to fool attendees and to highlight the issue of imposters and fakery in the NFT industry. Snoop Dogg has previously championed web3 and NFTs. Snoop Dogg and Eminem were seen in Bored Ape form at the event. The duo released a new music video for the event in partnership with the Bored Ape Yacht Club. [3]

Yuga Labs, the creator of Bored Ape Yacht Club, has sued the artist Ryder Ripps in Los Angeles federal court. The lawsuit accuses Ripps of selling Bored Ape copycats that are confusing potential buyers. The lawsuit alleges trademark infringement, false advertising, unfair competition, and cybersquatting. The lawsuit claims that Ryder Ripps and other parties have made millions from minting and selling identical copies of Bored Ape NFTs and also accuses Ripps of using misleading labeling and tracking information to make the counterfeit NFTs seem legitimate.[4]

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is marking its first experiment in digital assets with an NFT sale this summer. The museum has announced a partnership with LaCollection.io to create an NFT collection featuring some of the MFA’s rarely exhibited pastel works by Degas and Monet. Now art aficionados will have a chance to own NFTs of these works of art. Proceeds from the sale will be used to raise money and conserve artwork at the museum.[5]

Seth Green was reunited with his stolen Bored Ape Yacht club NFT. The Bored Ape NFT that Green named “Fred Simian” was stolen in May when his wallet was compromised in a phishing scam. Green had to pay a 260 thousand dollar ransom to get his NFT back. The NFT was set to star in an animated series created by Green named "White Horse Tavern." Over the past few weeks, before the return of the NFT, there was much controversy over whether Green would still be able to move forward with his animated series without the NFT and the rights associated with it the NFT in his possession.

While buyers of the bored apes NFTs do have rights to license and distribute them, there was much confusion around whether he could still create the series without the NFT in his possession. Yuga Labs did comfort Bored Ape holders by stating that the rights of the license do not extend to stolen NFTs. [6]

You will soon be able to buy NFTs with your Mastercard credit card. MasterCard is working with central NFT marketplaces to facilitate easy NFT payments. The company is collaborating with major NFT marketplaces such as Immutable X, Candy Digital, Nifty Gateway, The Sandbox, and more to come later. [7]

Ukraine’s blockchain community announced at Consensus that they will be partnering with NEAR protocol to preserve the art and culture of the country. Ukraine plans to digitize every single piece of art and history belonging to the country while their museums and cultural sites are currently being destroyed during the invasion by Russian forces. [8]

eBay made their biggest move yet into the world of digital collectibles with news this month of the company acquiring NFT marketplace KnownOrigin. The online auction company is keeping its lips sealed on the deal’s value but confirmed in the press release that the deal is closed as of June 21st. eBay started allowing NFT sales on its site last year. With the KnownOrigin acquisition, eBay has the opportunity to control a proper digital marketplace where NFT transactions can be both monitored and controlled — not just offered with the fingers-crossed hope the seller transfers an NFT to the buyer’s wallet correctly.

Bentley has announced plans for an NFT collection. The luxury brand has plans to sell 208 digital artworks later this year in an exclusive offering that is also billed as sustainable due to their partnership with Polygon. Polygon Studios will digitally mint the special collection on it's Ethereum scaling platform using Web3. Bentley has not mentioned a cost for the NFTs, but stated that they will be available in September. In addition to the digital aspect, Bentley promises buyers "will be treated to exclusive community opportunities, rewards and unique utilities" that will be announced at a later date. [10]

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