A certificate of authenticity (COA) is a seal or small sticker on a proprietary computer program, t-shirt, jersey, or other memorabilia or art work, especially in the world of computers and sports. It is commonly a seal on paper authenticating a specific artwork which and is made to prove authenticity.
Depending on the item being authenticated, the certificate of authenticity may include:
The document is usually supplied by the manufacturer, artist or other approved entity.
Computer COAs have a license number on them, which verifies the program to be a genuine, legal copy.
COAs are common in art. Artwork or posters come with a COA signed and sealed by a reputable appraiser or auction house. Generally, a valid artwork COA includes when and how the piece was produced, the names of people or companies involved in the artwork's production, the work's exact title, the dimensions of the art, and the names of reference books, magazines, or similar resources that contain specific or related information about the art or artist. The COA states the qualifications of the individual or entity that authored the certificate with their contact information.
COAs have been a target of controversy due to online auction sites where sellers provide fake COAs to market or sell their art works.
COAs are commonly used on internet auction sites to provide "proof" the signature on an item is genuine. However, it is widely acknowledged that most of these COAs have been produced by fraudulent sellers to encourage buyers to buy fake items. In almost all cases, these COAs are worthless and have no traceability.
COAs prove the legitimacy of an item, thereby informing consumers about its origin. They are often used in auctions or private sales to confirm authenticity and can be used as marketing tools. COAs establish that an item is genuine and untampered, hence valuable. Items like artwork, rare coins, collectibles and luxury goods often gain value when accompanied by a COA.
COAs are of no value unless it contrains full contact details of the issuer. In the UK, it is an offense under the Fraud Act 2006 (section 7) to create or use a COA in the sale of an autograph or similar item: "(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply any article (a) knowing that it is designed or adapted for use in the course of or in connection with fraud, or (b) intending it to be used to commit, or assist in the commission of, fraud."
In other words, if the seller is offering fakes with a COA, they are committing more than one offense, and the offense of issuing a COA is a possible 12-month prison sentence.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have emerged as a digital analogue to traditional certificates of authenticity, particularly in the realm of digital art and collectibles. An NFT is a unique digital token, typically on a blockchain like Ethereum, which certifies ownership and authenticity of a digital asset. Each NFT contains metadata that can include the creator's identity, the asset's creation date, and other details, similar to a physical COA. This technology has gained prominence as a means of asserting originality and ownership of digital artworks and other unique digital items.
NFTs differ from traditional COAs in several ways:
In the art world, NFTs have been both lauded and criticized:
As with traditional COAs, the legal implications of NFTs are still being explored. Issues like copyright ownership, transfer of rights and the legal status of NFTs in various jurisdictions have ongoing debate and development.