I guess the problem is that the author has brought it up in the article. Race has no place in this article and yet it's there.
contract ERC721 {
// ERC20 compatible functions
function name() constant returns (string name);
function symbol() constant returns (string symbol);
function totalSupply() constant returns (uint256 totalSupply);
function balanceOf(address _owner) constant returns (uint balance);
// Functions that define ownership
function ownerOf(uint256 _tokenId) constant returns (address owner);
function approve(address _to, uint256 _tokenId);
function takeOwnership(uint256 _tokenId);
function transfer(address _to, uint256 _tokenId);
function tokenOfOwnerByIndex(address _owner, uint256 _index) constant returns (uint tokenId);
// Token metadata
function tokenMetadata(uint256 _tokenId) constant returns (string infoUrl);
// Events
event Transfer(address indexed _from, address indexed _to, uint256 _tokenId);
event Approval(address indexed _owner, address indexed _approved, uint256 _tokenId);
}
It's not hard to understand. This ERC721 NFT token can verify is its owner (ownerOf()), and the actual item of interest (tokenMetaData()). Item of interest is secured either on the blockchain itself or offline using URL reference in the metadata.