Scalable, High-Assurance, NFT Creator Verification

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Anthony Capitan

[GENERAL] Email address of main applicant

anthonycapitan@protonmail.com

Additional applicants

• Giovanni Gargiulo
• Nick Mason

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

7

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language.

No

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.” .

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

No

[GENERAL] If NO, please describe which outputs are not going to be open source. If YES, please write “Project will be fully open source.”

ProofSpace’s no-code wrapper is closed source, while the underlying identity protocols may be open source. We are working towards being fully open source in the future. PRISM contains open source and closed-source components, and is reported to be working towards open source in the future.

[METADATA] Category of Proposal

Identity Solutions

[METADATA] SDG rating

Goal 9: "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation."

"... Facilitate sustainable infrastructure development for developing countries; support domestic technology development and industrial diversification; universal access to information and communications technology ... "

Goal 16: "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels"

" ... develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions; ensure responsive, inclusive and representative decision-making; strengthen the participation in global governance; provide universal legal identity ... "

[IMPACT] Please describe your proposed solution.

1. NFT project owners need a way to demonstrate to NFT collectors that they’ve created the project and the works they intend to sell. And conversely, collectors need a way to easily verify whether the assets they’re buying, and the artists and teams behind them, are legitimate.
2. In the current market, legitimate NFT artists and teams typically demonstrate their investment in a project through building community on social networking platforms like Twitter, through the launch of a website, and/or ownership of other accounts that speak to their professional reputation.
3. Using DIDs, proof of ownership of various accounts - whether they be an email account, or an account on Twitter, Artstation, etc. - can be included in an encrypted identifier that proves the same individual or entity that owns these accounts, also registered a collection of images on IPFS (in preparation to mint them as NFTs), or registered said collection with an NFT minting platform (again, in preparation for minting).
4. In addition to proving ownership of various accounts evidencing one’s creative legitimacy, artists and project owners can attach a verifiable credential to this identifier proving that they scanned their collection on Argus and that Argus found it to likely be an “original” (i.e. not likely a counterfeit) collection.
5. By simply querying a DID on a verification interface (like one we'll build as part of a PoC on argusnft.com) NFT collectors can quickly and easily access all the above proofs in a human readable format.
6. By having personal DIDs and holding NFT ownership verifiable credentials, owners may perform B2C verifiable interactions while onboarding to a marketplace, receive reputation credentials, and more.

You can view a detailed schematic of the workflow for this PoC here:

https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVOpvimLc=/

In summary though, with this PoC the following will be possible:

1. With a ProofSpace App a user can obtain the Verifiable Credentials for their social and email accounts ...
2. Onboard with that Verifiable Credentials to argusnft.com using ProofSpace App and QR/Deep linking depending on the platform(desktop/mobile) browser. Receive ArgusNFT Account verifiable credential ...
3. Provide and verify with Argus a link to a created collection which the user wants to verify that they own ...
4. Receive a verifiable Collection Ownership Credential after Argus verifies the collection's minting history ...
5. Confirm NFT minting (on a partnering minting platform) with ArgusNFT Account and Collection Ownership credentials to be used to generate a NFT collection DID and issue public Author of Collection credential ...
6. And onboard to a partnering Marketplace with Collection Ownership and Author of Collection credentials - to be listed in the Marketplace with minimal manual collection verification on the part of the marketplace team.

[IMPACT] How does your proposed solution address the challenge and what benefits will this bring to the Cardano ecosystem?

If credentials like these are created and included in the metadata of NFTs when they’re minted, it will dramatically reduce the ability of art thieves and scammers to exploit NFT markets. And with AI projects currently in development which quantitatively assess the legitimacy of social accounts, we’ll soon be able to add one more powerful identifier to these credentials to optimize their power and utility.

Additionally, ArgusNFT is actively building cross-chain counterfeit identification capability, which will be critical going forward, because no NFT marketplace team can reliably, manually review the originality of tens of millions of NFTs across many blockchains prior to marking an NFT collection as "verified."

In their “final form," these credentials should finally allow NFT marketplaces to fairly afford visibility to creators of all kinds, and scale apace with creativity and innovation, without wasting time and resources trying to filter out thieves and copycat collections.

Given the power of this solution, we’re confident that NFTs + DIDs + key credentials like Argus verification of minting history will become an industry standard, and mark a key step in the maturation of the NFT space. And we’re committed to helping Cardano projects pioneer this step in the evolution of NFT markets in a decentralized manner that's affordable even for emerging artists. Proposals like this one - https://cardano.ideascale.com/c/idea/107710 - and public statements by prominent creators indicate that large IP owners want more assurances that NFT ecosystems care about authenticity and legitimacy before they spend their social capital to promote an NFT project. And we believe the best way to give Cardano the competitive edge in the trust department, is to move towards a standard that accomplishes NFT collection verification in a self sovereign and decentralized way.

[IMPACT] How do you intend to measure the success of your project?

• The Successful development of a functioning and usable PoC
• Social impressions and reactions to the advent of this NFT ID solution
• The number of NFT minting platforms that integrate capability to include verifiable credentials in NFT metadata
• The number of NFT projects/collections that come to include this solution into their NFTs
• The number of NFT marketplaces that integrate the capability for users to check verifiable credentials
• Getting feedback from platforms that choose to integrate the solution on their (and their users') opinions about the solution

[IMPACT] Please describe your plans to share the outputs and results of your project?

We plan to share the outputs and results of our project in various ways, such as:

• Monthly progress reports to Project Catalyst
• Participating in relevant events, webinars, podcasts, and interviews upon completion of PoC.
• Creation of integration support documentation
• Creation of Demo Video and Sales Deck
• Final Report to Project Catalyst upon completion of project

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability?

Our team has the capability to deliver this project with high levels of trust and accountability, because:

• We have a strong background and experience in NFTs, blockchain, web development, and SaaS (ArgusNFT).
• ProofSpace has a proven track record both as a SaaS decentralized ID platform and no further R&D (other than a small piece of work on public credentials) is required to deliver the project - it is pure implementation.
• We have successfully completed several Project Catalyst proposals in Fund8 and Fund9, both on-time and on-schedule (ArgusNFT and Proofspace)
• ProofSpace and Argus have worked together for over a year, are motivated to continue doing so and will have a legal agreement in place to cover Argus' use of the ProofSpace platform
• Both our teams have established successful partnerships and collaborations with other projects in the Cardano ecosystem.
• We have a clear vision, mission, and roadmap for our project, as well as a detailed budget breakdown and a risk management plan.
• We have a transparent and accountable approach to managing funds properly, such as using escrow services, audits, reports, and receipts.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] What are the main goals for the project and how will you validate if your approach is feasible?

1. Create a working PoC as outlined above. While we're very confident in the feasibility of this approach, we'll meet regularly as a team to track progress, and tweak the project workflow if necessary.
2. We'll dedicate a significant amount of time early on to identifying suitable marketplace and minting platform partners to integrate the finished solution. An inability to find at least one minting platform and marketplace willing and able to integrate the key components of our PoC, even though the integration is subsidized by Project Catalyst, will be the best indication that we should pause further development efforts unless and until we identify ready and willing minting and marketplace partners.

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please provide a detailed breakdown of your project’s milestones and each of the main tasks or activities to reach the milestone plus the expected timeline for the delivery.

Milestone 1: Argus-ProofSpace Integration

1. Public Credentials R&D
2. Workflow design (see the example workflow diagram attached)
3. Identification minting platform partner (BizDev)
4. Identification marketplace partner (BizDev)
5. Interaction set-up (see a detailed PS Dashboard set-up explanation video)
6. Webhook integration (see documentation)
7. Testing & Fixing
8. ArgusNFT Workflow Implementation R&D 
9. Handle onboarding flow (api/webhook and persistence)

Timeline: 1 - 2 months (depending on counterparty engagement)

Milestone 2: Marketplace-ProofSpace Integration

1. Workflow design (see the example workflow diagram attached)
2. Interaction set-up (see a detailed PS Dashboard set-up explanation video)
3. Webhook integration (see documentation)
4. Testing & Fixing
5. ArgusNFT Handle Authenticity Flow

• ArgusNFT API
• ProofSpace Credential Verification
• Digital Assets Download and Verification
• ArgusNFT Collection Ownership ID

Timeline: 1 - 2 months (depending on counterparty engagement)

Milestone 3: Minting Platform-ProofSpace Integration

1. Workflow design (see the example workflow diagram attached)
2. Interaction set-up (see a detailed PS Dashboard set-up explanation video)
3. Webhook integration (see documentation)
4. Testing & Fixing
5. Support

• Timeline: 2-3 weeks (depending on counterparty engagement)

Milestone 4: Support and sales collateral

1. Support documentation
2. Sales deck
3. Demo video
4. Marketing and Sales to additional Platforms
5. Outreach Presentations, Q&A's

Timeline: 1 - 2 months

[CAPABILITY/ FEASIBILITY] Please describe the deliverables, outputs and intended outcomes of each milestone.

Milestone 1: Argus-ProofSpace Integration:

Milestone 2: Marketplace-ProofSpace Integration:

Milestone 3: Minting Platform-ProofSpace Integration:

Milestone 4: Support and sales collateral

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] Please provide a detailed budget breakdown of the proposed work and resources.

Proofspace Project Budget

Milestone 1: Argus-ProofSpace Integration

• Public Credentials R&D $750
• Workflow design (see the example workflow diagram attached) $750
• Interaction set-up (see a detailed PS Dashboard set-up explanation video) $300
• Webhook integration (see documentation) $750
• Testing & Fixing $750
• Support $750
• Subscription $2,063

Milestone 2: Marketplace-ProofSpace Integration

• Workflow design (see the example workflow diagram attached) $750
• Interaction set-up (see a detailed PS Dashboard set-up explanation video) $300
• Webhook integration (see documentation) $750
• Testing & Fixing $750
• Support $750
• Subscription $2,063

Milestone 3: Minting Platform-ProofSpace Integration

• Workflow design (see the example workflow diagram attached) $750
• Interaction set-up (see a detailed PS Dashboard set-up explanation video) $300
• Webhook integration (see documentation) $750
• Testing & Fixing $750
• Support $750
• Subscription $2,063

Milestone 4: Support and sales collateral

• Support documentation $750
• Sales deck $1,500
• Demo video $1,500

Proofspace Subtotal $20,589

15% Discount $3,088

Proofspace Discounted Subtotal $17,501

ArgusNFT Project Budget

Identification minting platform partner (BizDev) $1,500

Identification marketplace partner (BizDev) $1,500

Workflow Implementation R&D $725

Handle onboarding flow (api/webhook and persistence) 2 weeks $4,250

Handle Authenticity Flow (approx. 3 weeks) $7,450

• ArgusNFT API
• ProofSpace Credential Verification
• Digital Assets Download and Verification
• ArgusNFT Collection Ownership ID

NFT Minting (develop in-house or outsource DID minting platform integration) $5000

ArgusNFT support $1500

Project Coordination and Admin $2,000

Outreach presentations and Q&A's following completion of PoC $750

Marketing/Sales of Solution to additional Platforms $3,000

ArgusNFT Subtotal $27,675

Minting Platform Integration Incentive $3,500

Marketplace Integration Incentive $3,500

Integration Incentive Subtotal $7,000

Budget Total: $52,176

[RESOURCES & VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

• We have based our budget on realistic estimates of the time and resources required to complete this project with high quality standards.
• We have benchmarked our costs against the average wage in our countries of residence and the typical freelance rates in our industry (ML/web development/blockchain).
• We have considered alternative sources of funding or revenue for this project, such as grants, sponsorships, or fees, but we have concluded that Catalyst funding is the most suitable and sustainable option for us at this stage.
• We have demonstrated that our project will bring significant benefits and value to the Cardano ecosystem, such as increasing NFT sales, user retention, and adoption, showcasing NuNet's potential, enhancing NFT diversity, quality, and discoverability, and fostering collaboration and interoperability among NFT platforms.

[IMPORTANT NOTE] The Applicant agreed to Fund10 rules and also that data in the Submission Form and other data provided by the project team during the course of the project will be publicly available.

I Accept