Trading systems, trading methods, and programs

Abstract

A trading system, a trading method, and a program are provided that enable trading of items. [Solution] In a trading system comprising a user terminal, a server device, and a blockchain network, the server device comprises a lottery unit 211 that selects content by lottery, a sales unit 212 that sells the right to create a digital asset corresponding to the selected content, a status memory unit 232 that stores whether or not the content and digital asset have been created in association with each other, a creation unit that creates a digital asset corresponding to content for which a digital asset has not been created in response to a request from a content purchaser, and a transaction processing unit 214 that processes transactions of digital assets between users, including the purchaser.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a trading system, a trading method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes an item trading system (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, trading items whose sales targets are determined by lottery may be regarded as gambling.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object thereof is to provide a technology that enables item trading.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The main invention of the present invention for solving the above problems is a trading system, comprising: a lottery unit that selects content by lottery; a sales unit that sells the right to create a digital asset corresponding to the selected content; a state storage unit that stores the correspondence between whether the content and the digital asset have been created; a creation unit that creates the digital asset corresponding to the content for which the digital asset has not been created in response to a request from a purchaser of the content; and a transaction processing unit that performs transaction processing of the digital asset among users including the purchaser. <OO00035> Further issues and solutions disclosed in this application will be made clear in the section on embodiments of the invention and in the drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, items can be made tradable. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the overall configuration of a trading system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the sales targets in the trading system of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 20. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of the software configuration of the server device 20. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the software configuration of user terminal 10. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the processing flow related to primary distribution. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the processing flow related to secondary market transactions. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] <Summary of the Invention> The embodiments of the present invention will be described by listing them. The present invention has, for example, the following configuration. [Item 1] A lottery section where content is selected by lottery, A sales department that sells the right to create digital assets corresponding to the selected content, A state storage unit that stores in association whether or not the aforementioned content and the aforementioned digital asset have been created, A creation unit that, in response to a request from the purchaser of the aforementioned content, creates the digital assets corresponding to the aforementioned content for which no digital assets have been created, A transaction processing unit that performs transaction processing of the digital asset among users including the purchaser; A transaction system characterized by comprising the above. [Item 2] The transaction system according to Item 1, wherein the lottery unit performs lottery of the content either有偿 or无偿; A transaction system characterized by the above. [Item 3] The transaction system according to Item 2, wherein the transaction processing unit performs the transaction processing with the price for the lottery as the minimum transaction amount; A transaction system characterized by the above. [Item 4] The transaction system according to any one of Items 1 to 3, further comprising a sales period storage unit that stores the sales period of the right, wherein the transaction processing unit does not execute the transaction processing during the sales period; A transaction system characterized by the above. [Item 5] The transaction system according to any one of Items 1 to 4, wherein the digital asset is a non-fungible token, and the creation unit issues the non-fungible token corresponding to the content in a blockchain network; A transaction system characterized by the above. [Item 6] The steps of selecting content by lottery, selling the right to create a digital asset corresponding to the selected content, associating and storing whether the content and the digital asset have been created, creating the digital asset corresponding to the content for which the digital asset has not been created in response to a request from the purchaser of the content, performing transaction processing of the digital asset among users including the purchaser, A transaction method characterized by being executed by a computer. [Item 7] The steps include selecting content by lottery, The steps include selling the right to create digital assets corresponding to the selected content, A step of storing in association whether or not the aforementioned content and the aforementioned digital asset have been created, A step of creating a digital asset corresponding to the content for which a digital asset has not yet been created, in response to a request from the purchaser of the content; The steps include processing the transaction of the digital asset between users, including the aforementioned purchaser, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

[0011] <System Overview> Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a trading system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The trading system of this embodiment is configured to include a server device 20. The server device 20 is connected to a user terminal 10 so as to be able to communicate via a communication network. The communication network is, for example, the internet and is constructed using public telephone lines, mobile phone lines, wireless communication channels, Ethernet (registered trademark), etc.

[0012] The server device 20 is also connected to the blockchain network 30 for communication. The blockchain network 30 consists of multiple nodes (computers) and can manage ledger data in a distributed manner. The distributed ledger is managed in a way that makes it difficult to tamper with, using the so-called blockchain mechanism. A detailed explanation of the blockchain-based distributed ledger management mechanism will be omitted here, assuming that a common one is adopted. The blockchain network 30 can be built using, for example, Ethereum.

[0013] Tokens that can be issued by blockchain networks 30 such as Ethereum (Ethereum tokens) include fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Unlike fungible tokens, NFTs are tokens that do not have fungibility. NFTs can have their own unique value that distinguishes them from other NFTs. For this reason, NFTs have a unique identifier (NFT-ID) that enables them to be distinguished from other NFTs. An NFT is, for example, a token issued in accordance with the ERC (Ethereum Request for Comments) 721 standard. NFTs that comply with the ERC 721 standard are also called NFT-721 tokens. In this embodiment, as an example, we assume that the NFT is an NFT-721 token. Like fungible tokens, NFTs are tradable on the blockchain network 30. The transaction history of NFTs is recorded on the blockchain network 30. The distributed ledger of the blockchain network 30 also records the owner and ownership history of NFTs.

[0014] The trading system of this embodiment aims to trade digital assets issued based on digital content such as images (including still images and moving images) and characters and items used in games (hereinafter also simply referred to as "content"). In this embodiment, the digital assets are assumed to be NFTs. In the trading system of this embodiment, instead of simply selling content as NFTs, the system sells the content with added benefit value, then issues NFTs corresponding to the content, and finally trades the issued NFTs.

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the sales target in the trading system of this embodiment. As shown in the figure, in the trading system of this embodiment, the sales target 40 is made by attaching a benefit value 42 to the content 41. The benefit value 42 includes the right to convert the content into an NFT (hereinafter referred to as the NFT right) 421 and the right to be recorded as the first owner of the NFT (hereinafter referred to as the listing right) 422.

[0016] In the trading system of this embodiment, the item for sale 40 is "content that can be issued and distributed as an NFT," so the primary value of the item for sale to the general consumer is the benefit value 42. Therefore, for example in the example in Figure 2, almost all of the consideration for the monetary value of the item for sale, 1000 yen, is grasped in terms of the primary value, the benefit value 42, and the consideration for the secondary value of the content 41 alone, with the benefit value 42 removed, is hardly grasped. In other words, for the price of the item for sale, 1000 yen, sold as "content that can be issued and distributed as an NFT," the NFT rights 421 and list rights 422 are the primary value to which the 1000 yen should be applied, and for content 41 without NFT rights 421 and list rights 422, or for content 41 where the NFT rights 421 and list rights 422 have been exhausted, the value to be grasped is considered to be almost 0 yen.

[0017] When content 41 is issued as NFT 50 (an NFT corresponding to content 41 is issued), the NFTization rights 421 and the list rights 422 are exhausted. On the other hand, the issued NFT 50 is accompanied by a new benefit value 43, which is different from the benefit value 42, in the form of the right 431 to be listed as the current owner. When NFT 50 is resold, the value of NFT 50 will fluctuate, but even for NFT 50, the primary value is still the benefit value 43, and the secondary value that should be considered for content 41, which is not accompanied by the right 431 to be recorded as the current owner of the NFT, is approximately 0 yen. Therefore, the approximately 0 yen secondary value related to content 41 is always gained and never lost by being traded as NFT 50. Thus, even if the sale of the sales target 40 in the trading system of this embodiment is conducted by lottery, it does not constitute an act of contesting the gain or loss of property benefits of the goods.

[0018] Furthermore, even if the value of the content 41 alone, which is a secondary value, does not become 0 yen, and there is residual secondary value in the content 41, the benefit value 43 newly granted by the issuance of NFT 50 remains the primary value. For example, in the example in Figure 2, when the item for sale 40 is sold for 1000 yen, the value of the content 41 is 300 yen and the benefit value 42 is 700 yen. Of the 700 yen of benefit value 42, 300 yen is for NFT conversion rights 421 and 400 yen is for list rights 422. When NFT 50 is issued, the NFT conversion rights 421 (300 yen) for converting the content into an NFT are exhausted from the 1000 yen sales price of the item for sale. Also, since tokens are tamper-proof (or extremely difficult to tamper with) in the blockchain network 30, the list rights 422 (400 yen) for recording as the first owner in the NFT are also exhausted. Furthermore, the secondary value remaining in content 41 can be determined to be 300 yen. Here, if the transaction price of NFT 50 in secondary market is 300 yen or more, only a profit will be obtained compared to the value of content 41 of 300 yen, and no loss will occur. In normal NFT transactions, the price of the item to be sold will not fall below 30% of the price at the time of sale (for example, an item to be sold for 1000 yen will not fall below 300 yen). Therefore, even if the sale of item 40 in the transaction system of this embodiment is conducted by lottery, it will not constitute an act of contesting the gain or loss of property benefits.

[0019] Furthermore, in the trading system of this embodiment, when trading in the secondary market, the minimum transaction price is set to be the same as or higher than the price of content 41. This ensures that the value of content 41 is not lost.

[0020] User terminal 10 is a computer operated by users who are purchasers of content in the primary distribution market, sellers of content in the secondary distribution market, or users who could potentially become purchasers. User terminal 10 can be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a personal computer. Users can use user terminal 10 to purchase content, issue NFTs for the purchased content, and sell the NFTs on the marketplace.

[0021] The server device 20 is a computer that performs tasks such as selling content and trading NFTs. The server device 20 may be a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or personal computer, or it may be logically implemented through cloud computing.

[0022] <Hardware Configuration> Figure 3 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the server device 20. Note that the illustrated configuration is just one example, and other configurations are also possible.

[0023] The server device 20 includes a CPU 201, memory 202, storage device 203, communication interface 204, input device 205, and output device 206. The storage device 203 stores various data and programs, such as a hard disk drive, solid-state drive, or flash memory. The communication interface 204 is an interface for connecting to a communication network, such as an adapter for connecting to Ethernet®, a modem for connecting to a public telephone network, a wireless communication device for wireless communication, or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector or RS232C connector for serial communication. The input device 205 is for inputting data, such as a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, buttons, or microphone. The output device 206 is for outputting data, such as a display, printer, or speaker.

[0024] The user terminal 10 can have the same hardware configuration as the server device 20 shown in Figure 2. Furthermore, each functional unit of the user terminal 10 and the server device 20, which will be described later, is realized by the CPU 201 reading a program stored in the storage device 203 into the memory 202 and executing it, and each storage unit of the user terminal 10 and the server device 20, which will be described later, is realized as part of the storage area provided by the memory 202 and the storage device 203.

[0025] <Server device 20> Figure 4 shows an example of the software configuration of the server device 20. The server device 20 may include a product storage unit 231, a state storage unit 232, a sales period storage unit 233, a minimum transaction amount storage unit 234, a lottery unit 211, a sales unit 212, an NFT issuance unit 213, and a transaction processing unit 214.

[0026] The product memory unit 231 stores information (hereinafter referred to as product information) about the product to be sold (i.e., content with added benefit value; hereinafter referred to as the product). In this embodiment, it is assumed that the content included in the product is selected by lottery. Therefore, the product to be sold may be a combination of the right to obtain content (the right to acquire content that fluctuates by lottery) and the benefit value related to the content obtained by lottery.

[0027] Product information can include a product ID that identifies the product, along with lottery conditions, sales price, content price, NFT rights price, and list rights price.

[0028] The lottery conditions are parameters related to the lottery. For example, the lottery conditions can include the types of content that can be selected, information that identifies the group of content to be selected, the rarity of the content to be selected, the probability of winning for each type and / or rarity, and the number of draws (the number of content items obtained through the draw).

[0029] The selling price is the price of the product, that is, the price of the product with added value to the content, and in the example in Figure 2, it is set at 1000 yen. The content price is the price of the content, and in the example in Figure 2, it is set at 300 yen. The NFT rights price is the price of the NFT rights included in the product, and in the example in Figure 2, it is set at 300 yen. The list rights price is the price of the list rights included in the product, and in the example in Figure 2, it is set at 400 yen.

[0030] Alternatively, the product storage unit 231 may be placed on the blockchain network 30, and product information may be managed using a distributed ledger.

[0031] The state storage unit 232 stores information indicating the status of sold content (hereinafter referred to as state information). The state information may include a user ID, product ID, NFT flag, and listing flag, associated with a content ID that indicates the content. The user ID indicates the user who purchased the product (i.e., the user who has the right to NFT and the right to list). The product ID indicates the product. The information indicating the content determined by lottery after purchasing the product indicated by the product ID becomes the corresponding content ID. The NFT flag indicates whether or not an NFT corresponding to the content has been issued. The listing flag indicates whether or not the user designated as the owner has been set in the metadata of the NFT corresponding to the content.

[0032] The sales period storage unit 233 stores the sales period of a product. The sales period storage unit 233 stores the sales period of a product in association with the product ID. The sales period storage unit 233 can also be configured to store the sales period in association with the content ID.

[0033] The minimum transaction amount storage unit 234 sets the minimum transaction amount for the NFT. The minimum transaction amount storage unit 234 can store the lowest price at the time of trading for an NFT issued for content related to a product (content selected by lottery), associated with the product ID.

[0034] The lottery unit 211 selects content by lottery. The lottery unit 211 can conduct a lottery for content, either for a fee or free of charge. The lottery unit 211 can conduct a lottery based on the lottery conditions of the product information. For example, the lottery unit 211 can conduct a lottery for content by pre-setting probabilities for each rarity of the content.

[0035] The sales unit 212 sells products. In this embodiment, the product is a combination of content, NFT rights, and list rights. The sales unit 212 can sell products as a so-called primary distributor. If multiple products are being sold, the sales unit 212 may send a list of the products to the user terminal 10. The sales unit 212 can also process charges to the user for the sales price of the products. The charging process can use a generally known method.

[0036] When the sales unit 212 receives a product purchase application request from the user terminal 10, it can have the lottery unit 211 conduct a lottery. Once the content is determined by the lottery unit 211, the sales unit 212 can create status information for each determined piece of content, including a content ID indicating the content, a user ID indicating the customer, a product ID indicating the product, a fake NFT flag, and a fake list flag, and register this information in the status storage unit 232. The sales unit 212 can then send the determined content (or a list of content for each lottery if multiple lotteries are conducted) to the user terminal 10.

[0037] The NFT issuing unit 213 (creation unit) issues an NFT corresponding to the content (proving ownership of the content) in response to a request from the purchaser of the product. If the NFT conversion flag corresponding to the content ID specified in the request from the user terminal 10 is false, the NFT issuing unit 213 issues an NFT corresponding to the content of the product information corresponding to the product ID on the blockchain network 30. The issued NFT includes information that identifies the content and information that identifies the owner. The NFT issuing unit 213 can set the user ID of the user who purchased the product as the owner.

[0038] The NFT issuing unit 213 may, if the request specifies a user different from the user who purchased the product, and the listing flag corresponding to the specified content ID is false, set the specified user as the owner in the metadata of the issued NFT.

[0039] The NFT issuing unit 213 can send the issued NFT to the user's wallet. Furthermore, when the NFT issuing unit 213 issues an NFT, it can update the NFT status flag and listing flag in the status information corresponding to the content of the NFT to true.

[0040] The transaction processing unit 214 processes transactions of digital assets between users, including the buyer. The transaction processing unit 214 also processes transactions related to so-called secondary market transactions. For example, when an NFT is transferred, the transaction processing unit 214 can issue a transaction on the blockchain network 30 to set the transferee user as the owner of the NFT. The transaction processing unit 214 can issue a transaction in response to a transfer request sent from the user terminal 10. The transfer request may include information identifying the NFT, a user ID indicating the transferring user (transferring user ID, which can be an account name or wallet address), a user ID indicating the transferee user (transferee user ID), and the transfer price. The transaction processing unit 214 can charge the transferee user the transfer price (which may include a fee) and pay the transferring user the transfer price (which may exclude a fee). The transaction processing unit 214 can also move the NFT from the transferor user ID's wallet to the transferee user ID's wallet.

[0041] ==(A) The minimum selling price in the secondary market shall be at least the price of one lottery draw.== Furthermore, the transaction processing unit 214 can set a minimum transaction amount. For example, at the time of a transaction, the transaction processing unit 214 can obtain the minimum transaction amount corresponding to the product ID included in the NFT being traded from the minimum transaction amount storage unit 234, and prevent transactions below the obtained minimum transaction amount. The minimum transaction amount can be the price of the content (unit price of the product information) or the price for one lottery draw.

[0042] ==(B) Restrict secondary market transactions to not be permitted during the primary market sales period== Furthermore, the transaction processing unit 214 can be configured not to execute transaction processing during the sales period.

[0043] ==(C) The primary distribution operator and the secondary distribution operator should be separate business entities with no capital relationship.== Furthermore, the primary marketplace where the sales department 212 sells goods and the secondary marketplace where the transaction processing department 214 trades NFTs can be operated by separate entities.

[0044] ==(D) Circulating NFTs purchased in the primary market into secondary markets on multiple platforms== Furthermore, NFTs issued by the NFT Issuance Unit 213 can be traded not only in the marketplace where transactions are conducted by the Transaction Processing Unit 214, but also in other marketplaces. The NFT Issuance Unit 213 can, for example, issue NFTs compliant with the ERC721 standard, thereby enabling the circulation of NFTs in other markets.

[0045] ==(E) Secondary trading of NFTs from multiple different operating entities== Furthermore, the transaction processing unit 214 can trade NFTs sold on other marketplaces. In this case, for example, the blockchain network 30 can manage NFTs that comply with standards such as ERC721, and ERC721-compliant NFTs issued on other marketplaces can also be managed on the blockchain network 30, and the transaction processing unit 214 can issue transactions for such NFTs and incorporate them into blocks.

[0046] <User terminal 10> Figure 5 shows an example of the software configuration of the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 may include a purchase unit 111, an NFT request transmission unit 112, a wallet 113, and an NFT trading unit 114.

[0047] The purchase unit 111 processes the purchase of goods. The purchase unit 111 may, for example, receive a list of goods provided by the server device 20 and present it to the user. The purchase unit 111 can apply to purchase a goods by sending a purchase application request specifying the goods ID to the server device 20. As described above, a lottery is held in the server device 20 in response to the application request, the content to be given to the user is determined by the lottery, and the determined content is notified. The purchase unit 111 can acquire and display the winning content.

[0048] The NFT request transmission unit 112 sends a request to issue an NFT corresponding to the content. The request is set with a content ID. As described above, in response to the request, the server device 20 issues an NFT corresponding to the content on the blockchain network 30. The user is set as the owner of the NFT.

[0049] Wallet 113 is a means for managing tokens. Wallet 113 can, for example, manage a user's account (user ID) and a user's private key.

[0050] The NFT trading unit 114 processes transactions (sales and purchases) of NFTs. When transferring an NFT, the NFT trading unit 114 sends a transfer request to the server device 20. The transfer request can include information identifying the NFT, a user ID indicating the transferor (itself) (transferor user ID), a user ID indicating the recipient user (recipient user ID), and a transfer price.

[0051] <Processing> The following describes the processing of the trading system in this embodiment. The trading system in this embodiment can perform both primary distribution (sale of goods) and secondary distribution (trading of NFTs).

[0052] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the processing flow related to primary distribution.

[0053] In primary distribution, for example, the server device 20 can sell a product consisting of three video content items determined by lottery. Users can purchase the product by paying the sales price. In this case, the user terminal 10 sends a purchase request to the server device 20, and the server device 20 receives the request (S301).

[0054] The selling price of the product can be determined by the operating company. The value of the product is the sum of "video" + "NFT rights" + "listing rights". When considered as an NFT product, the content price, NFT rights price, and listing rights price are set so that the value of the "video" is low (for example, 30%) and the benefit value of "NFT rights" + "listing rights" is high (for example, 70%).

[0055] As described above, each video content is sold as a product that includes the right to convert the video content into an NFT and the right to list it. When a user makes a purchase, the video content is randomly selected by the server device 20 (S302).

[0056] The selected content is assigned to the user, and the status information is registered in the status storage unit 232 with a content ID indicating the content and a user ID indicating the user (S303).

[0057] Users can exercise their NFT rights and listing rights to convert their own owned products (video content with NFT rights attached) into NFTs themselves. In this case, the user terminal 10 sends an NFT issuance request to the server device 20 specifying the user ID and content ID, and the server device 20 issues the NFT in response to the request and moves it to the user's wallet (S304).

[0058] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the processing flow related to secondary market transactions.

[0059] In the secondary market, User A can list NFTs they own on a marketplace. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the marketplace is also provided by the server device 20. Listing on the marketplace can be done using common methods such as e-commerce or auctions. In addition, another user B can purchase the NFT from User A on the marketplace. The purchase process on the marketplace can use common methods used in e-commerce or auctions, and User A can receive the selling price from User B. The listing price (selling price) for issuing an NFT on the marketplace can be determined by User A. Here, the server device 20 can be configured to ensure that only transactions at or above the minimum transaction price are completed.

[0060] Here, user terminal 10 sends a transfer request to server device 20 specifying the content ID, its own user ID (transferring user ID), and the recipient user ID (S321). Server device 20 then issues a transaction to change the owner of the NFT corresponding to the content ID to the recipient user ID (S322). As a result, the NFT is transferred from the transferring user ID (user A's wallet) to the recipient user ID (user B's wallet).

[0061] In this way, content can be sold and traded by lottery without any gain or loss occurring.

[0062] Although these embodiments have been described above, they are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and are not intended to limit its interpretation. The present invention can be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and equivalents thereof are also included.

[0063] For example, in this embodiment, the product sold is content with added benefit value, but it is also possible to sell only the benefit value. In this case, the sales unit 212 of the server device 20 can sell at least the NFT rights as a product, independently of the sale of the content. That is, a fee may be paid for conducting a lottery for the content by the lottery unit 211, and the NFT rights and list rights for converting the content selected by the lottery into NFTs may be sold separately from the lottery.

[0064] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the listing flag is set to false as the default value when selling a product. However, if, for example, you do not want to separate the NFT rights and the listing rights, you may set the listing flag to true. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10 User terminals 20 Server Devices 30 Blockchain Networks 40 items for sale 41 Contents 42. Benefit Value 50 NFT

Claims

1. A sales department that sells the right to create non-fungible tokens and the right to be recorded as the first owner of said non-fungible tokens, A creation unit that, in response to a request from the purchaser of the aforementioned rights, creates the non-fungible token for the purchaser, recording the purchaser as the first owner; A trading system characterized by having the following features.

2. A trading system according to claim 1, The system includes a state storage unit that stores whether or not the non-fungible token was created for the aforementioned purchaser. The creation unit refers to the state storage unit to determine whether the non-fungible token has been created for the purchaser, and if it has not been created, it creates the non-fungible token for the purchaser. A trading system characterized by the following

3. A step of selling the right to create non-fungible tokens and the right to be recorded as the first owner of said non-fungible tokens, The steps include creating the non-fungible token in response to a request from the purchaser of the aforementioned rights, with the purchaser recorded as the first owner, A transaction method characterized by being executed by a computer.

4. A step of selling the right to create non-fungible tokens and the right to be recorded as the first owner of said non-fungible tokens, The steps include creating the non-fungible token in response to a request from the purchaser of the aforementioned rights, with the purchaser recorded as the first owner, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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