Appraisal certification system and appraisal certification method

Abstract

This authenticity certification system is provided with: a distributed file server that generates, on the basis of digital asset data relating to a product to be authenticated, a hashed identifier that is individually allocated to the product to be authenticated; a dedicated platform that records, on a blockchain, NFT information relating to the product to be authenticated, the NFT information being linked to the identifier, and outputs a generated transaction hash or a two-dimensional code corresponding to the transaction hash; and a recording means for associating first verification information held for each of a plurality of users related to the product to be authenticated with the NFT information and recording the same in the order in which the plurality of users are involved. During authenticity certification, the first verification information linked with the NFT information corresponding to the transaction hash acquired from an authentication certifier, or the two-dimensional code corresponding to the transaction hash, is read from the recording means, and the authenticity certification of the product to be authenticated is carried out by determining consistency between the read first verification information and first signature information held by the authentication certifier.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an appraisal and certification system and an appraisal and certification method. [Background technology]

[0002] Authentication-required products such as bags, purses, clothing, watches, arts and crafts, and automobiles typically follow a complex distribution route, being manufactured by the manufacturer, creator, or copyright holder, and then sold to consumers through distributors such as logistics companies, wholesalers, and retailers. During the manufacturing and distribution process, consumers are required to obtain authentication certificates—proof that the item is genuine and not a counterfeit. Furthermore, in recent years, authentication-required products are frequently sold to consumers via the internet, as are used versions of these products (including secondary, tertiary, and other nth-tier sales (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 4)). With the increasing frequency of transactions between consumers, the need for more comprehensive authentication certificates for these authentication-required products is growing.

[0003] Products requiring authentication are typically issued with a certificate (hereinafter also referred to as a "guarantee card") to prove and guarantee their authenticity. The guarantee card contains information about the product, such as the product name, model number, manufacturer / author, place of manufacture, and date of manufacture (hereinafter also referred to as "product information"). However, in recent years, it has become possible to obtain only the guarantee card through the internet, etc. Therefore, authentication certificates based on guarantee cards are no longer considered sufficiently reliable.

[0004] Conventionally, methods have been disclosed in which an IC chip containing information is attached to a medium such as a plastic card as a certificate, and the authenticity of the certificate is determined by comparing the information printed on the surface of the certificate with the information read from the memory of the IC chip (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, when the method disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to a product requiring authentication, although the authenticity of the guarantee card itself can be confirmed because it becomes difficult to forge, the only thing that links this guarantee card to the product is the product number engraved on the product. For this reason, it is difficult to provide sufficient authentication.

[0005] Furthermore, a technology has been disclosed that involves attaching an IC chip to a product requiring authentication, making the product information recorded on the IC chip readable via smartphones, mobile phones, etc. (see, for example, Patent Document 2). However, if the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 is applied to a product requiring authentication, and no password is set when reading the product information as described above, third parties other than distributors and consumers will be able to intercept the product information. As a result, third parties will be able to intercept product information that consumers do not want to be known, such as whether the product requiring authentication is genuine or whether the manufacturing date is recent. On the other hand, if a password is set, there is a risk that the password itself may become unknown as the product requiring authentication goes through a complex distribution route, making it impossible to perform authentication certification when needed. In addition, there is a risk that the password itself may be hacked.

[0006] Furthermore, a technology has been disclosed in which a serial code is assigned to a product, read by a serial code reader, and the product is authenticated by querying a product database (see, for example, Patent Document 3). However, the same problems as those in Patent Document 2 arise when the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3 is applied to a product requiring authentication.

[0007] For this reason, a new method has recently been proposed for authenticating an item using two or more multi-signature authentications: one for an item requiring authentication with a small recording medium attached or incorporated to it, and another for a guarantee card also having a small recording medium attached or incorporated to it (a microchip (IC chip), two-dimensional code, digital watermark, etc., can be used as appropriate depending on its shape, structure, size, etc.). (See, for example, Patent Document 4.)

[0008] According to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 4, a private key and a small recording medium containing product information about the product requiring authentication are attached to or embedded in the product requiring authentication and the guarantee card (which may be a microchip (IC chip), a two-dimensional code, a digital watermark, etc., depending on its shape, structure, size, etc.). The product information and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product requiring authentication reaches the consumer are recorded on a blockchain. The consumer uses the private key assigned to the product requiring authentication and the guarantee card to read the product information and transaction information from the blockchain. This allows only the consumer to easily obtain highly reliable authentication certificates. Furthermore, manufacturers, authors, etc., can sequentially write product information on the blockchain, and logistics companies, wholesalers, retailers, etc., can sequentially write transaction information, thereby accurately recording product information and transaction information in a mutually complementary manner, and furthermore, it is possible to strongly prevent tampering with product information and transaction information. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-357377 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2014 / 207890 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-35197 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 6894033 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0010] However, products requiring authentication naturally include not only analog (physical) goods (hereinafter also referred to as analog goods) but also digital goods (hereinafter also referred to as digital goods). Digital goods include, for example, digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video. The social need for more robust, reliable, and multifaceted authentication and certification of the above-mentioned digital goods has become particularly apparent in recent years with the spread of the internet. For example, the "Manga-mura incident," a pirated manga website that opened in January 2016 and closed in April 2018, is said to have resulted in copyright infringement damages of over 300 billion yen (Source: "Manga-mura Operator Arrested, Extradited from Philippines on Copyright Infringement Charges, Damages Estimated at 320 Billion Yen," Asahi Shimbun Digital, September 25, 2019). In addition to manga, pirated versions of magazines, novels, photo books, movies, dramas, and other video content were also available for free on the internet (Source: "Manga-mura Incident (Limited to Copyright Infringement)," Hiroshi Okumura, Professor, Graduate School of Law, Keio University, June 2, 2021).

[0011] The aforementioned Patent Document 4 discloses technology focused on analog goods. Therefore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 4 lacks sufficient mention of authentication systems and methods for digital goods. For this reason, there is a need for reliable authentication methods that can be used even when authenticating digital goods.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its objective is to provide an appraisal system and appraisal method that can provide highly reliable appraisals even when appraising digital goods. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] The authentication certification system according to the present invention comprises: a distributed file server that generates hashed identifiers individually assigned to the product to be authenticated based on the digital asset data of the product to be authenticated; a dedicated platform that records NFT (Non-fungible token) information of the product to be authenticated linked to the identifier on the blockchain and outputs the generated transaction hash or a corresponding two-dimensional code; and a recording means that records first verification information held by each of the multiple users involved with the product to be authenticated, linked to the NFT information, in the order in which the multiple users are involved. The system is characterized in that, at the time of authentication certification, the dedicated platform reads the first verification information linked to the NFT information corresponding to the transaction hash or a corresponding two-dimensional code obtained from the authenticater, and determines the consistency between the read first verification information and the first signature information held by the authenticater, thereby authenticating the product to be authenticated.

[0014] In the authentication certification system according to the present invention, the first verification information read out at the time of authentication certification may be consistent with the first signature information held by a user among the multiple users who was involved before the most recent user involved with the product requiring authentication.

[0015] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, the first verification information read out at the time of appraisal and certification may be consistent with the first verification information held by the most recent user among the multiple users concerned with the product requiring appraisal.

[0016] In the authentication and certification system according to the present invention, the first verification information may indicate at least one of the following: the blockchain wallet address held by the user, the public key used to generate the blockchain wallet address, and the private key used to generate the blockchain wallet address.

[0017] In the authentication certification system according to the present invention, the multiple users include at least one of consumers, manufacturers, authors, and various businesses, and further authentication is performed using the product to be authenticated, to which a small recording medium (a1) containing a private key α1 and product information relating to the product to be authenticated is attached or incorporated, and the transaction hash or two-dimensional code output from the dedicated platform, and at least one of the manufacturers, authors, and various businesses uses an application [A] to record the product information and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product to be authenticated is delivered to the consumer on the blockchain, and the authenticator uses the product information and The dedicated platform further comprises an application [B] used to read the above transaction information from the blockchain, and the dedicated platform may record second verification information obtained based on the above product information and / or transaction information on the blockchain by at least one of the above manufacturer, producer, author and various businesses using the above application [A], and at the time of authentication, the authentication certifier may authenticate the above product using the above private key α1 assigned to the above product, and using the above application [B] to determine the consistency between the second signature information read from the blockchain based on the above product information and transaction information and the second verification information.

[0018] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, further appraisal and certification is performed using a guarantee card to which a small recording medium (b) recording a private key β1 and the above product information is affixed or incorporated, and the above transaction hash or the above two-dimensional code output and generated from the above dedicated platform. The above dedicated platform may record third verification information, which is acquired by at least any one of the above manufacturer, producer, author, and various traders using the above application [A] based on the above product information and / or the above transaction information, on the above blockchain. At the time of the above appraisal and certification, the appraiser and certifier may use the above private key β1 attached to the above guarantee card, and use the above application [B] to determine the consistency between the third signature information read from the above blockchain based on the above product information and the above transaction information, and the above third verification information, so as to perform appraisal and certification of the above product requiring appraisal.

[0019] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, the above dedicated platform may record fourth verification information acquired based on the above transaction hash or a two-dimensional code corresponding thereto, on the above blockchain. At the time of the above appraisal and certification, the consistency between the fourth signature information acquired based on the transaction hash obtained from the above appraiser and certifier or the two-dimensional code corresponding thereto, and the above fourth verification information is determined, so as to perform appraisal and certification of the above product requiring appraisal.

[0020] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, at the time of the above appraisal and certification, at least any one of the comparison result between the above first verification information and the above first signature information, the comparison result between the above third verification information and the above third signature information, and the comparison result between the above fourth verification information and the above fourth signature information has consistency, and the comparison result between the above second verification information and the above second signature information has consistency, whereby the authentication of the above product requiring appraisal may be satisfied.

[0021] In the appraisal certification system according to the present invention, the dedicated platform may use the transaction hash directly as the fourth verification information, and at the time of appraisal certification, the transaction hash acquired from the appraisal certifier may be directly used as the fourth signature information.

[0022] The appraisal certification method according to the present invention uses a distributed file server to generate a hashed identifier that is individually assigned to a product requiring appraisal based on digital property data of the product requiring appraisal, uses a dedicated platform to record NFT information of the product requiring appraisal associated with the identifier on a blockchain and output a generated transaction hash or a two-dimensional code corresponding thereto, and uses a recording means to record first verification information held by each of a plurality of users involved in the product requiring appraisal in association with the NFT information in the order in which the plurality of users are involved, and at the time of appraisal certification, reads out the first verification information associated with the NFT information corresponding to the transaction hash acquired from the appraisal certifier or the two-dimensional code corresponding thereto, and determines the consistency between the read first verification information and the first signature information held by the appraisal certifier, thereby performing appraisal certification of the product requiring appraisal.

[0023] The appraisal certification system according to the present invention comprises: a platform that records information of an appraisal certification target associated with a first identifier individually assigned to the appraisal certification target on a blockchain based on digital property data of the appraisal certification target, and outputs a generated second identifier or a two-dimensional code corresponding thereto; and a recording means that records verification information held by each of a plurality of users involved in the appraisal certification target in association with the above information, and is characterized in that at the time of appraisal certification, appraisal certification of the appraisal certification target is performed by multi-signature authentication that requires a plurality of correspondences.

[0024] The appraisal certification system according to the present invention may further comprise a distributed file server that generates a first identifier individually assigned to the appraisal certification target based on digital property data of the appraisal certification target.

[0025] In the authentication certification system according to the present invention, at the time of authentication certification, authentication certification of the subject of authentication certification may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, only the second identifier, or both the first and second identifiers as multiple associations.

[0026] In the authentication certification system according to the present invention, at least one authentication element used for multi-signature authentication may be one which has been certified by a third party.

[0027] The appraisal and certification method according to the present invention is characterized by using a platform to record information of the item to be appraised, linked to a first identifier individually assigned to the item based on the digital asset data to be appraised, on a blockchain, and outputting a second identifier or a corresponding two-dimensional code, using a recording means to record verification information held by multiple users related to the item to be appraised, linked to the above information, and performing appraisal and certification of the item to be appraised by multi-signature authentication requiring multiple correspondences at the time of appraisal and certification.

[0028] In the appraisal and certification method according to the present invention, a distributed file server may be used to generate a first identifier that is individually assigned to the item to be appraised and certified based on the digital asset data of the item to be appraised and certified.

[0029] In the authentication method according to the present invention, at the time of authentication, authentication of the subject of authentication may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, only the second identifier, or both the first and second identifiers as multiple associations.

[0030] In the authentication method according to the present invention, at least one authentication element used to perform multi-signature authentication may be one which has been certified by a third party.

[0031] The appraisal and certification system according to the present invention comprises a server that generates a first identifier individually assigned to the digital asset to be appraised based on the digital asset data to be appraised, a platform that records the generated first identifier, and recording means that records verification information held by multiple users related to the asset to be appraised, linked to the first identifier, and is characterized in that, at the time of appraisal and certification, the appraisal and certification of the asset to be appraised is performed by multi-signature authentication that requires multiple correspondences.

[0032] The appraisal and certification system according to the present invention may further include storage for generating a second identifier that is individually assigned to the item to be appraised and certified based on the digital asset data of the item to be appraised and certified.

[0033] In the authentication certification system according to the present invention, at the time of authentication certification, authentication certification of the subject of authentication certification may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, only the second identifier, or both the first and second identifiers as multiple associations.

[0034] In the authentication certification system according to the present invention, at least one authentication element used for multi-signature authentication may be one which has been certified by a third party.

[0035] The appraisal and certification system according to the present invention comprises a server that generates identifiers individually assigned to the digital asset to be appraised based on the digital asset data of the asset to be appraised; a platform for recording the generated identifiers; and recording means for recording product information relating to the asset to be appraised and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the asset reaches the consumer, linked to the identifiers. The system is characterized in that, at the time of appraisal and certification, the product information and transaction information linked to the identifiers are read from the platform, and the appraisal and certification of the asset to be appraised is performed using the product information and transaction information.

[0036] In the appraisal and certification system according to the present invention, it is preferable to perform the appraisal and certification of the subject of appraisal and certification by determining the consistency between the above-mentioned product information and the above-mentioned transaction information at the time of appraisal and certification.

[0037] Furthermore, it is preferable that the above platform records the above identifier in a database.

[0038] Furthermore, the subject of the appraisal and certification mentioned above may be a tangible object.

[0039] Alternatively, the subject of the appraisal and certification mentioned above may be an intangible object.

[0040] Furthermore, when the recording means records product information relating to the item to be certified and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the item to be certified reaches the consumer, linked to the identifier, it may record the information on the platform in the order in which multiple users involved with the item to be certified are involved.

[0041] The appraisal and certification system according to the present invention comprises a server that generates identifiers to be individually assigned to digital assets to be appraised based on the digital asset data to be appraised, a platform for recording the generated identifiers, and recording means for recording verification information held by multiple users related to the assets to be appraised, linked to the identifiers, wherein, at the time of appraisal and certification, the verification information linked to the identifiers is read from the platform, and the appraisal and certification of the assets to be appraised is performed using the verification information and signature information held by the appraiser.

[0042] In the authentication certification system according to the present invention, it is preferable to perform authentication certification of the object to be authenticated by determining the consistency of the verification information and signature information read from the platform during authentication certification.

[0043] Furthermore, it is preferable that the verification information read during the authentication process is consistent with the signature information held by users who were involved before the most recent user involved in the subject of the authentication, among the multiple users mentioned above.

[0044] Alternatively, the verification information read during the appraisal process may be consistent with the signature information held by the most recent user among the multiple users involved in the appraisal.

[0045] Furthermore, the verification information includes first verification information read from the platform and linked to the identifier obtained from the appraiser, and second verification information obtained based on the product information and / or transaction information using an application [A] used by at least one of the manufacturers, producers, authors, and various businesses to record product information relating to the item to be appraised and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the item to be appraised reaches the consumer. At the time of appraisal, the platform may satisfy the authentication of the item to be appraised by ensuring that the comparison result between the first verification information and the first signature information held by the appraiser is consistent, and that the comparison result between the second verification information and the second signature information read from the platform based on the product information and transaction information is consistent.

[0046] Furthermore, the subject of the appraisal and certification mentioned above may be a tangible object.

[0047] Alternatively, the subject of the appraisal and certification mentioned above may be an intangible object.

[0048] Furthermore, when the recording means records the verification information held by each of the multiple users involved in the appraisal and certification subject, linking it to the identifier, the recording may be done in the order in which the multiple users are involved.

[0049] The present invention's authentication method is characterized by using a server to generate a first identifier that is individually assigned to the digital asset to be authenticated based on the digital asset data to be authenticated, using a platform to record the generated first identifier, using recording means to record verification information held by each of the multiple users related to the asset to be authenticated, linked to the first identifier, and performing authentication of the asset to be authenticated by multi-signature authentication that requires multiple correspondences at the time of authentication.

[0050] In the appraisal and certification method of the present invention, a second identifier may be generated using storage, which is individually assigned to the digital asset to be appraised and certified based on the digital asset data to be appraised and certified.

[0051] In the authentication method of the present invention, at the time of authentication, authentication of the object to be authenticated may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, only the second identifier, or both the first and second identifiers as multiple associations.

[0052] In the authentication method of the present invention, at least one authentication element used to perform multi-signature authentication may be one which has been certified by a third party.

[0053] The present invention provides an authentication method characterized by using a server to generate an identifier that is individually assigned to the item to be authenticated based on the digital asset data of the item to be authenticated, recording the generated identifier, using a recording means to record product information relating to the item to be authenticated and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the item to be authenticated reaches the consumer, linked to the identifier, and at the time of authentication, reading the product information and transaction information linked to the identifier, and performing authentication of the item to be authenticated using the product information and transaction information.

[0054] The present invention's appraisal and certification method is characterized by using a server to generate an identifier that is individually assigned to the digital asset to be appraised based on the digital asset data to be appraised, recording the generated identifier, using a recording means to record verification information held by each of the multiple users related to the asset to be appraised, linked to the identifier, and at the time of appraisal and certification, reading the verification information linked to the identifier, and performing appraisal and certification of the asset to be appraised using the verification information and signature information held by the appraiser. [Effects of the Invention]

[0055] According to the present invention, which has the configuration described above, NFT information linked to a unique identifier for genuine products from multiple users such as manufacturers, producers, and authors is recorded in blockchain data. This allows for accurate recording of NFT information and prevents tampering with the NFT information itself. Therefore, even when performing authentication and certification for digital goods, it becomes possible to perform highly reliable authentication and certification. Furthermore, if, for example, a counterfeit or imitation digital product appears, incorporating a function into the authentication and certification system that can capture such counterfeit products along with "5W1H" information makes it possible to deter the distribution of counterfeit goods. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0056] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows the system configuration of an appraisal and certification system to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figures 2(a) and 2(b) are diagrams illustrating the processing operation of digital property authentication certificates. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the process from generating NFT transaction hashes and 2D codes from digital asset data. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the necessary configuration for authenticating analog goods. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of an analog goods appraisal certificate. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of blockchain data containing product information and transaction information, which are recorded on a dedicated platform for authenticating analog goods. [Figure 7] Figures 7(a) and 7(b) illustrate the processing operation of hybrid (analog-digital) authentication certificates. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart of ownership verification via a blockchain wallet. [Figure 9] Figures 9(a) and 9(b) illustrate an example of performing a hybrid authentication based on transaction hash or QR code along with ownership verification data (proof of ownership of the blockchain wallet). [Figure 10] Figures 10(a) and 10(b) illustrate an example of a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines identifiers and analog appraisal certificates. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is another diagram illustrating an example of a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines identifiers and analog appraisal certificates. [Figure 12] Figure 12 shows the flow chart of an authentication and certification method using traceability. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating a modified flow chart of an appraisal and certification method using traceability. [Figure 14] Figures 14(a) and 14(b) illustrate the processing operation of digital property authentication certificates in other embodiments. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a flowchart showing the process for generating an identifier for a product requiring appraisal from digital asset data when storage is available, in another embodiment. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating the process for generating an identifier for a product requiring appraisal from digital asset data in another embodiment, when storage is unavailable. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of an analog goods appraisal certificate in another embodiment. [Figure 18] Figures 18(a) and 18(b) illustrate the processing operation of a hybrid authentication certificate in another embodiment. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a flowchart of ownership verification through an identifier representing a user in another embodiment. [Figure 20] Figures 20(a) and 20(b) illustrate an example of a hybrid authentication process in another embodiment, where a transaction hash or two-dimensional code is used in conjunction with ownership verification data. [Figure 21] Figure 21 is a diagram illustrating the flow of an authentication and certification method using traceability in another embodiment. [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a diagram showing a modified example of an authentication method using traceability in another embodiment. [Figure 23] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating analog goods, digital goods (physical objects that have been digitized), and digital goods that are digital from the start.

[0057] Hereinafter, an example of an appraisal and certification system and appraisal and certification method to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0058] Figure 1 shows the system configuration of the appraisal and certification system 1 to which the present invention is applied. The appraisal and certification system 1 is used by users (including manufacturers, authors, etc., as well as logistics companies, wholesalers, retailers, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "various businesses, etc."), owners, and consumers, etc., who are involved with the product 5 requiring appraisal). The appraisal and certification system 1 consists of terminals 2 and 72 for operation by users (e.g., various businesses, etc.) and a distributed file server 3 for operation by administrators, etc., which are connected via a public communication network 10, including the Internet, and constitute a dedicated platform 8 via this public communication network 10. The users who operate terminals 2 and 72 can be arbitrarily set according to the purpose, but below, as an example, we will explain the case in which various businesses, etc. operate terminal 2 and consumers operate terminal 72 as needed.

[0059] Terminal 2 consists of electronic devices such as personal computers (PCs), but may also be embodied in any other electronic device, such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet devices, or wearable devices. Various businesses operate Terminal 2 to perform various tasks to generate identifiers from the products requiring authentication 5. The products requiring authentication 5 can be broadly classified into analog goods and digital goods. For example, analog goods include all products that require authentication, such as bags, handbags, clothing, watches, works of art and crafts, and automobiles. Digital goods include all digital content that requires authentication, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video. Digital goods also include information that has been digitized from information related to analog goods (e.g., product images, serial numbers, authentication certificates, etc.). Products requiring authentication 5 include not only new products but also used products (secondary market, tertiary market, and other nth-order markets (n is an integer of 4 or more)).

[0060] Similarly, terminal 72 is composed of electronic devices such as PCs, but it may also be embodied in any other electronic device, such as mobile phones, smartphones, tablet devices, or wearable devices. The consumer operates terminal 72 and attempts to authenticate product 5.

[0061] The distributed file server 3 is a distributed file system intended to connect terminals 2 to the same file system, and is composed of, but is not limited to, so-called IPFS (Interplanetary File System). Various businesses that access the public communication network 10 via terminals 2 provide data to the distributed file server 3, and consumers can request this data in a P2P (Peer to Peer) format. The distributed file server 3 is a place to store all digital content of the product requiring authentication, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and simultaneously with this storage, a multi-digit string called an identifier is generated as described below. When identifying the identifier of the product requiring authentication 5, if it is new, the image will be exactly the same, but since unique supplementary information such as a product management number is added along with the digital content, a unique string of characters called an identifier is generated. Note that in the authentication authentication system 1 and authentication authentication method of this embodiment, the distributed file server 3 may be omitted.

[0062] Furthermore, in the case of used goods, each item becomes a unique digital asset characterized by individual scratches, scuffs, and other deformations, resulting in the generation of a one-of-a-kind identifier. This unique characteristic of used digital assets is extremely important in the resale industry for authentication and certification. For example, if someone who purchased a used watch returns it to the store with a counterfeit watch and requests a refund, if information based on an NFT (Non-fungible token) corresponding to the digital asset or the identifier described later is stored on the blockchain, it can be used as evidence to check the difference between the watch sold to the customer and the watch brought back by the customer.

[0063] The dedicated platform 8 references blockchain 8a. Blockchain 8a can be a blockchain with a P2P network, such as a distributed ledger. On this blockchain 8a, product information of the product requiring authentication 5, transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product requiring authentication 5 reaches the consumer, and identifiers generated by hashing based on the digital asset data of the product requiring authentication 5 are recorded.

[0064] Furthermore, the term "blockchain 8a" used here refers to any type of blockchain, including not only blockchains with P2P networks such as distributed ledgers, but also public blockchains, private blockchains, consortium blockchains, and others.

[0065] Furthermore, the concept of recording on blockchain 8a also includes recording a sequence of hash values ​​used to prove specific data. Additionally, the concept of recording on blockchain 8a includes recording encrypted or digitally signed information, such as hash values. For example, information recorded on blockchain 8a may be recorded in a format appropriate to its application, such as encryption or digital signature technology.

[0066] The appraisal and certification system 1 to which the present invention is applied can realize appraisal and certification of two main types: digital property appraisal and certification, and hybrid appraisal and certification, as described below.

[0067] Digital Property Authentication Certificate First, let's explain the processing operation for digital asset authentication certification. As shown in Figure 2(a), digital asset data is acquired for the product 5 requiring authentication. This acquisition of digital asset data is performed on the object to be authenticated. This digital asset data consists of digital image data captured using terminal 2 or a digital camera, etc., on the product 5 requiring authentication. In addition to being composed of digital asset data obtained by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., through such terminal 2, it may also be used that was originally assigned to or linked to the product 5 and recorded on a recording medium. This digital asset data is any digital content requiring authentication certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and is assigned extensions such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc.

[0068] Manufacturers, producers, and copyright holders register the digital asset data of the product requiring authentication 5 obtained in this manner on a dedicated platform 8. As a result, the dedicated platform 8 obtains NFT information based on NFTs issued via blockchain 8a, which it references, and automatically generates a transaction hash and a two-dimensional code corresponding to that NFT information. Through the transaction hash and two-dimensional code of the NFT information issued and generated in this way, it becomes possible to determine whether the product requiring authentication 5 is a counterfeit or a genuine product. Note that NFT information may refer to the publicly known NFT itself, or it may refer to information that has been processed based on publicly known technologies such as encryption or digital signing of the NFT. Furthermore, NFT information may include identifiers associated with the NFT.

[0069] As shown in Figure 2(b), digital asset data is recorded on a distributed file server, and an identifier is issued, from which a unique two-dimensional code A can be generated. Furthermore, a unique two-dimensional code B can be generated from the transaction hash obtained via the blockchain. Two-dimensional codes A and B are distinct from each other, but they can be used as one of the authentication elements of the multi-signature authentication of the appraisal and certification system 1. Two-dimensional code B is well known, but the addition of two-dimensional code A can enhance the security of the multi-signature authentication. Note that two-dimensional code A alone may be used as an authentication element of the multi-signature authentication, or two-dimensional code B alone may be used as an authentication element of the multi-signature authentication. Furthermore, to increase the strength of the multi-signature authentication, two-dimensional codes A and B together may be used as authentication elements of the multi-signature authentication.

[0070] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating the process of issuing transaction hashes and QR codes for NFT information from such digital asset data. Note that Figure 3 shows an example where NFTs are used as the NFT information.

[0071] First, in step S11, the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., acquires digital asset data for the product 5 requiring appraisal and registers it on the dedicated platform 8. This process for registering digital asset data is performed by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., accessing the dedicated platform 8 via terminal 2. In such cases, the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., may also access the dedicated platform 8 from within terminal 2 and perform the necessary procedures by installing the required applications in advance.

[0072] Next, the process moves to step S12, where the dedicated platform 8 accepts registration of digital asset data. The dedicated platform 8 may consist of a so-called NFT marketplace, etc. When the dedicated platform 8 accepts registration of digital asset data, it issues a registration number for that digital asset data, for example, an NFT marketplace registration number. Since this registration number is issued each time digital asset data is registered, it is unique.

[0073] Next, the process moves to step S13, where the digital asset data and issued registration number received in step S12, along with information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author, are compiled into a single folder and registered on the distributed file server 3. The details of the manufacturer, producer, and author information include name, corporate information, pen name, pseudonym, etc., while the artwork information includes the title of the work, year of production, year of publication, artwork specifications (size, format, technology used), copyright of the work, and rights information such as portrait rights and design rights included in the work. The method of compiling the digital asset data, registration number, and manufacturer, producer, and author information into a single folder during registration is just one example; any method may be used as long as the digital asset data, registration number, and manufacturer, producer, and author information (hereinafter collectively referred to as "ancillary information") are registered in a linked manner.

[0074] Next, the process moves to step S14, where the distributed file server 3 issues a unique ID for each piece of registered supplementary information. The ID issued for digital asset data is called the 1st ID, the ID issued for the registration number is called the 2nd IDa, and the ID issued for information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author is called the 2nd IDb.

[0075] Regarding digital asset data, if identical digital asset data already exists elsewhere, or if the digital asset data has been copied by another party, the same first ID may be issued. On the other hand, since the registration number is unique, the second IDa will also be unique. Information such as manufacturer, producer, author, etc., such as company name, date of birth, copyright holder's name, and title of the work, may not be unique depending on the content, but since it is possible to set up a unique ID for each, the second IDb can also be unique. For example, by attaching time information such as the date and time, and seconds, registered on the distributed file server 3, the certainty of uniqueness can also be increased. Furthermore, in this step S14, at least the digital asset data may be recorded on this distributed file server 3. Moreover, this distributed file server 3 employs a distributed form, and is configured to prevent the loss of digital asset data in multiple ways. Such configuration settings are also possible.

[0076] Next, the process moves to step S15, where a unique identifier is generated based on the associated supplementary information. This generated identifier can be linked to the supplementary information, thereby becoming the identifier held by that supplementary information. This identifier is generated based on the first ID, second IDa, and second IDb described above. Since second IDa is unique and second IDb is also unique, even if the same digital asset data (first ID) is identical or a copy, the newly generated identifier will always be unique. This hashed and generated identifier is called an identifier.

[0077] Furthermore, this identifier may be generated based on rules defined in the distributed file server 3, using the supplementary information placed within the folder.

[0078] Alternatively, a two-dimensional code may be generated based on the generated identifier (step S23).

[0079] The process moves to step S16, where the dedicated platform 8 receives an identifier from the distributed file server 3. If a two-dimensional code was generated in step S23, the dedicated platform 8 receives the two-dimensional code from the distributed file server 3.

[0080] Next, the process moves to step S17, where the dedicated platform 8 sends an identifier based on the accompanying information to blockchain 8a.

[0081] In step S18, blockchain 8a records NFT information issued based on an identifier transmitted from the dedicated platform 8. By recording NFT information associated with an identifier on blockchain 8a (for example, by writing it to blockchain data 8b), it is possible to completely prevent the NFT information from being tampered with. In other words, each block in blockchain 8a contains a timestamp and a link (hash value) to the previous block, making it impossible to retroactively change the data within a block.

[0082] Next, the process moves to step S19, where a transaction hash and / or a QR code corresponding to the NFT information is generated. This generation of the transaction hash and / or QR code may be performed simultaneously with the recording to blockchain 8a. The transaction hash here is a string of approximately 64 characters, for example, in the case of Ethereum, used to identify the NFT information. This transaction hash may be replaced by a combination of a contract address and a token ID. The contract address here refers to the unique address on the blockchain where the contract is deployed. The token ID refers to the NFT information identified by the contract address. The QR code is a code used to identify the transaction hash. The issued transaction hash and QR code are sent to a dedicated platform 8 (for example, a marketplace) and received (step S20).

[0083] Blockchain 8a also transmits this NFT information to various businesses as needed (step S21). This transmitted NFT information may be replaced by the issued transaction hash or QR code. Various businesses receive this NFT information (step S22). Various businesses can receive such transaction hashes or QR codes via terminal 2.

[0084] Furthermore, the authority to acquire digital asset data and register it on the dedicated platform 8 is limited to various businesses and other entities. For example, in the case of products requiring appraisal 5 such as bags, handbags, clothing, watches, works of art and crafts, and automobiles, the authority to register digital asset data on this dedicated platform 8 may be granted only to various businesses and other entities or those authorized to act as sales agents for such products.

[0085] Various businesses, or consumers who purchase a new or used product 5 requiring authentication as a genuine product, receive this transaction hash or QR code along with the product 5 from the business or the dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). The businesses or consumers who receive the transaction hash or QR code can use it to access blockchain 8a on the dedicated platform 8 and read the NFT information of product 5 recorded there. This allows only genuine businesses or consumers who possess the transaction hash or QR code to easily perform reliable authentication. Therefore, third parties who do not possess these transaction hashes or QR codes cannot perform such authentication.

[0086] In this way, in digital authentication and certification, unique NFT information derived from a unique identifier is sequentially written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8 for only the genuine products 5 requiring authentication by various businesses, etc. This ensures that the NFT information itself is accurately recorded and completely prevents tampering with the NFT information itself. Therefore, various businesses, etc. that handle products requiring authentication 5, or consumers who purchase products requiring authentication 5 that are distributed through complex distribution channels or sold via the internet, can easily provide highly reliable authentication certificates.

[0087] It should be noted that the digital asset appraisal certificate is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in step S13, we described a case where an identifier is generated by registering supplementary information together with the digital asset data, but it is not limited to this, and any method that links at least some information to the digital asset data and registers it may be used. The information referred to here consists of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data, such as the registration number and information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author mentioned above. The supplementary information may consist of only one of the registration number or the information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author. Alternatively, the supplementary information may not include either the registration number or the information such as the manufacturer, producer, and author, but instead consist of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data.

[0088] Hybrid Appraisal Certificate Next, we will explain the processing operation of the hybrid appraisal certificate. In the hybrid appraisal certificate, in addition to the digital appraisal certificate mentioned above, an analog appraisal certificate is also combined to perform a more accurate appraisal of the product requiring appraisal 5.

[0089] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the product to be authenticated 5 and the guarantee card 24 that is sold and distributed together with it in an analog goods authentication certificate. The product to be authenticated 5 has a small recording medium (a1) 51a attached or incorporated thereto that records information including a secret key α1 and product information (product name, part number, manufacturer / author, place of manufacture, date of manufacture, etc.), and the guarantee card 24 has a small recording medium (b) 52a attached or incorporated thereto that records information including a secret key β1 and product information. Depending on the shape, structure, size, etc. of the product to be authenticated 5 and the guarantee card 24, small recording media such as IC chips, two-dimensional codes, and digital watermarks can be used as appropriate for the small recording media (a1) 51a and small recording media (b) 52a.

[0090] Here, "private key" refers to information necessary to authenticate the product 5 requiring authentication, and for example, the integrity of the "private key" itself may be determined during the authentication process. The "private key" represents information that can only be known by a specific user, and may be recorded on the "small recording medium" mentioned above, or it may be recorded in a configuration used in the authentication system 1, such as a terminal 72 or a dedicated platform 8.

[0091] Furthermore, a "public key" may be generated as a pair with a "private key," for example. In this case, known encryption and digital signature technologies can be implemented using the "private key" and "public key." Also, during authentication and certification, whether or not a "public key" was generated as a pair with a "private key" may be considered as consistency and used for determination. The "public key" can be recorded on the "small recording medium" mentioned above, for example, or it can be arbitrarily recorded in a configuration used in the authentication and certification system 1, such as a dedicated platform 8, depending on the application. Furthermore, the "private key" and "public key" can be generated using known technologies and can be arbitrarily generated depending on the application using a configuration used in the authentication and certification system 1, such as a dedicated platform 8 or a distributed file server 3.

[0092] The product information for the small recording medium (a1) 51a of product requiring authentication 5 and the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is entered by various vendors, etc., at the time of shipment of product requiring authentication 5.

[0093] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of analog goods authentication certification. In performing analog goods authentication certification, in addition to the components necessary for digital goods authentication certification as described above, the system consists of a dedicated platform 8 that records product information of the product to be authenticated 5 and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product to be authenticated 5 is delivered to the consumer as blockchain data 8b of blockchain 8a, a terminal 2a connected to the dedicated platform 8 via the public communication network 10 by application [A] 9, and a terminal 2b connected to the dedicated platform 8 via the public communication network 10 by application [B] 11.

[0094] Various businesses and other entities write product information and transaction information to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8 using application [A]9.

[0095] Consumers can use application [B]11 to read product information and transaction information of product 5 that has been written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8, using the private key α1 assigned to product 5 that requires authentication and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24, thereby enabling consumers to easily obtain reliable authentication certificates.

[0096] Application [A]9 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2a, and various businesses can use it to write product information and transaction information to blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8. Similarly, application [B]11 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2b, and consumers can read product information and transaction information of products requiring authentication 5 that have been written to blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8. For example, application [A]9 may have the same functions as application [B]11, and application [B]11 may have the same functions as application [A]9.

[0097] The reading of the information including the secret key α1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product requiring authentication 5, and the reading of the information including the secret key β1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24, can be achieved via wireless communication by bringing a reader 25 connected to terminal 2a or terminal 2b configured as a smartphone into close proximity. In such cases, it can also be done contactlessly using short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or RFID (Radio Frequency IDenticifier).

[0098] Figure 6 shows an example of blockchain data 8b in which various businesses and other entities record product information and transaction information for products 5 requiring authentication on a dedicated platform 8 when conducting analog goods authentication and certification.

[0099] Product 5 requiring authentication is manufactured by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., and then shipped with a guarantee card 24. Before shipping, the person in charge of the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., first uses application [A]9 to write the following product information, including 5W1H information (who, when, where, what, why, how), such as product name, product number, manufacturer, place of manufacture, and date of manufacture, into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0100] Next, the person in charge, such as the manufacturer, producer, or author, uses application [A]9 to write the inspection results of the product information recorded by the person in charge, the manufacturer, producer, or author, and the information including 5W1H information, into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0101] Next, after the product requiring authentication 5 is shipped from the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., the logistics company uses application [A] 9 to write information including the date and time the product was received from the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., the date and time it was delivered to the wholesaler, and 5W1H information into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0102] After the product requiring authentication 5 is received from the logistics company, the wholesaler uses application [A] 9 to write information including, for example, the date and time the product was delivered from the logistics company, the date and time the logistics company transported it to the retailer, and 5W1H information, into the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8.

[0103] In this way, product information and transaction information from various businesses are sequentially written to the blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8.

[0104] Furthermore, the authority to write product information and transaction information to blockchain data 8b is limited to each of the various businesses and entities involved in this information. For example, each of these businesses and entities may only be granted the authority to write product information.

[0105] In this way, various businesses and other entities sequentially record product information and transaction information for product 5 requiring authentication. Therefore, even if product 5 requires authentication follows a complex distribution route or is sold via the internet, its product information and transaction information can be accurately recorded.

[0106] Furthermore, by writing product information and transaction information to blockchain data 8b on the dedicated platform 8, it is possible to completely prevent tampering with product information and transaction information. In other words, each block in blockchain data 8b contains a timestamp and a link (hash value) to the previous block, making it impossible to retroactively change the data within a block.

[0107] Consumers who purchase a new or used product requiring authentication 5 can use terminal 2b to read product information and transaction information of product requiring authentication 5, which have been written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8, using application [B] 11, with the private key α1 assigned to product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24. This allows only genuine consumers who own product requiring authentication 5 and guarantee card 24 to easily provide reliable authentication proof.

[0108] Similarly, in this analog goods authentication system, consumers who purchase products requiring authentication 5, which are distributed through complex distribution channels or sold via the internet, can easily obtain highly reliable authentication certificates. In this analog goods authentication system, various businesses and other parties sequentially write the product information and transaction information of the products requiring authentication 5 to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8. This ensures accurate recording of product information and transaction information, and completely prevents tampering with the product information and transaction information. Therefore, the reliability of authentication certificates can be further enhanced.

[0109] Furthermore, in the case of analog product authentication certification, by using the private key α1 assigned to the product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, and reading the product information and transaction information of the product requiring authentication 5 written to the blockchain data 8b of the dedicated platform 8, only the true consumer who owns the product requiring authentication 5 and the guarantee card 24 can perform the authentication certification. For this reason, a third party who does not possess the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24 cannot perform such authentication certification.

[0110] Furthermore, in order to authenticate analog goods, the product to be authenticated 5 includes a small recording medium (a1) and a small recording medium (a2) containing information including the secret key α2. n A small recording medium (a) that contains information including n ) can be attached or incorporated into n small recording media (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2). This allows for the storage of not only secret keys α1 and β1, but also, for example, secret keys α2~α n At least two of all the private keys (for example, private key α1 and private keys β1, α2~α) n A multi-signature authentication method can be adopted in which at least one of the following is required for the authentication certificate to be valid, making the authentication accuracy more reliable. Furthermore, n small recording media (a1)~(a n By attaching or incorporating the ) to each part of product 5 requiring authentication, it is possible to detect if some of the parts have been replaced with counterfeits. For example, if product 5 requiring authentication is an automobile, authentication certification can be performed for all parts by attaching or incorporating small recording media to the car body and each tire.

[0111] Furthermore, in the authentication certification system 1, preferably, a small recording medium (a1) to (a n ) and at least one of the above-mentioned small recording media (b) may be equipped with a GPS function. This makes it easy to locate any part of the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24 even if they are lost or stolen.

[0112] When performing a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines such an analog appraisal certificate with the digital appraisal certificate described above, as shown in Figure 7(a), three items are prepared: the product to be appraised 5 and the guarantee card 24 required for the analog appraisal certificate, and the transaction hash or two-dimensional code required for the digital appraisal certificate.

[0113] Then, using terminal 72, the private key α1 attached to product 5 requiring authentication and the private key β1 attached to guarantee card 24 are used to read the product information and transaction information of product 5 recorded on blockchain 8a of the dedicated platform 8. Simultaneously, the transaction hash or QR code is used to access the application installed on terminal 72 and perform authentication. The application can determine the integrity of the transaction hash or QR code, and can also determine whether both the read product information and transaction information of product 5 requiring authentication are correct. Only when all of these authentication results in multi-signature authentication are determined to be correct can product 5 requiring authentication be determined to be genuine.

[0114] Even if the private key α1 attached to the product 5 to be authenticated, used in the analog authentication certificate, and the private key β1 attached to the guarantee card 24 were forged or illegally duplicated, this hybrid authentication certificate cannot be overlooked unless authentication is performed through the transaction hash or two-dimensional code used in this digital authentication certificate. In other words, this hybrid authentication certificate, by combining analog authentication certificates with digital authentication certificates, makes it possible to provide a more reliable authentication certificate system 1.

[0115] Although the present invention has been explained using the example of preparing three items in addition to the product requiring authentication 5 and the guarantee card 24, as shown in Figure 7(a), it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 7(b), a hybrid authentication certificate can be similarly performed by preparing only two items in addition to the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24, such as a transaction hash or a two-dimensional code.

[0116] In other words, in analog product authentication, the private key α1 assigned to the product 5 to be authenticated, or the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, is used to read the product information and transaction information of the product 5 recorded on the blockchain 8a of the dedicated platform 8. In addition, the integrity can be determined via an application installed on the terminal 72 using a transaction hash or a two-dimensional code. Only when all of the authentication results in these multi-signature authentications are determined to be correct can the product 5 to be authenticated be judged to be genuine.

[0117] Furthermore, as an alternative to the analog appraisal certificates mentioned above, ownership verification may be performed through a blockchain wallet for storing tokens such as Ethereum, as described below. The blockchain wallet ownership verification described below is just one example; other options include DID (Decentralized Identity, or Decentralized Identifier), SSI (Self-Sovereign Identity), or DIW (Digital Identity Wallet). In addition, verifiable credentials (VCs) certified by national governments and public institutions, such as Japan's gBizID or My Number (individual number), can be used as an alternative, and it is of course possible to substitute any other means of ownership verification without being limited to these.

[0118] As an alternative to the aforementioned guarantee card 24, a microchip (IC chip), a two-dimensional code, a digital watermark, etc., may be used as appropriate, depending on their shape, structure, size, etc.

[0119] Figure 8 shows a flowchart of ownership verification via a blockchain wallet.

[0120] In step S31, owner 41 first requests a one-time token from backend 42. Here, owner 41 is, for example, the owner of a blockchain wallet that can be used as a web browser extension or a smartphone app, and is shown as an example of a user as described above. Owner 41 sends and receives information through the frontend, which is the element that directly exchanges data with owner 41, and in web development, it refers to the web browser side (client side). Backend 42 refers to server-side processing and generally refers to the mechanisms, functions, and components such as servers, databases, functions, and programs or modules that are responsible for processing and are not visible to owner 41.

[0121] Next, the process moves to step S32, where the backend 42 returns a one-time token to the owner 41. The validity period of this one-time token may be, for example, a few seconds to a few minutes.

[0122] Next, the process moves to step S33, where owner 41 sends a signature creation request to blockchain wallet 43. This blockchain wallet 43 is, for example, a program that handles crypto assets. In this blockchain wallet 43, addresses and their private keys are not stored on an external server, and all transaction processing can be performed within the browser.

[0123] Next, we move to step S34, where the signature is returned from the blockchain wallet 43 to the owner 41.

[0124] Next, the process moves to step S35, where owner 41 sends the message, one-time token, signature data, and blockchain wallet address to backend 42. That is, before signing, the owner requests a one-time token for owner authentication from backend 42, which can then be used for signing. The aforementioned one-time token is sent along with the signature data to backend 42. Backend 42 verifies the signature data and the one-time token.

[0125] Backend 42 converts the signed message into hash data according to the standard. Then, it sends the hash message and signature data to smart contract 44 (step S36). Smart contract 44 here is a mechanism that automatically executes contracts on blockchain 8a and operates on the blockchain 8a server.

[0126] Next, the process moves to step S37, where the smart contract 44 returns the verification address to the backend 42. The backend 42 verifies the verification address. In this case, the backend 42 confirms the consistency between the blockchain wallet address and the verification blockchain wallet address.

[0127] Next, the process moves to step S38, where the backend 42 sends the blockchain wallet owner certificate to owner 41. If owner 41 wishes to provide owner certificate for product 5 requiring authentication, this can be done by reading the owner certificate data (blockchain wallet owner certificate) recorded in the smart contract (blockchain 8a).

[0128] Therefore, as an alternative to the analog appraisal certificates mentioned above, it is possible to read the owner verification data (blockchain wallet owner verification) recorded on blockchain 8a and, as shown in Figure 9(a), perform a hybrid appraisal certificate based on the transaction hash or two-dimensional code issued from the dedicated platform 8.

[0129] In addition, when using such blockchain wallet ownership verification, it is also possible to combine it with analog item authentication verification, as shown in Figure 9(b). In such cases, the private key α1 assigned to the item to be authenticated 5 in the analog item authentication verification and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 may be used, or either private key α1 or private key β1 may be used. Based on ownership verification data (blockchain wallet ownership verification), transaction hash or QR code, as well as private key α1 and / or private key β1, it becomes possible to perform hybrid authentication verification.

[0130] Furthermore, according to the present invention, authentication via NFT is not mandatory; as shown in Figure 10, authentication may be performed via an identifier. Since the identifier itself is unique, authentication can be performed through it.

[0131] Consumers or manufacturers / producers / authors obtain an identifier from the dedicated platform 8. In addition to the identifier, if a two-dimensional code corresponding to the identifier is generated in step S23, consumers or manufacturers / producers / authors may also obtain that two-dimensional code.

[0132] When providing authentication certification, in addition to the acquired identifier or the two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier, the private key α1 assigned to the product requiring authentication 5 as shown in Figure 10(a), or the private key α1 and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 as shown in Figure 10(b), are prepared.

[0133] Then, using terminal 2, the private key α1, or private keys α1 and β1, is used to read the product information and transaction information of product requiring authentication 5 recorded on blockchain 8a via the dedicated platform 8. At the same time, the identifier, or a two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier, is used to access the dedicated platform 8 or the distributed file server 3, and the identifier of product requiring authentication 5 recorded there is read. Only when the read product information, transaction information, and identifier of product requiring authentication 5 are all determined to be correct can product requiring authentication 5 be judged to be genuine. Note that the criteria for determining whether a product is genuine may be, for example, if at least one of the product information, transaction information, and identifier of product requiring authentication 5 is correct, and can be arbitrarily set according to the application.

[0134] In the example shown in Figure 10, a hybrid authentication method may be implemented that further combines ownership verification data (blockchain wallet ownership verification).

[0135] Furthermore, in the case of digital goods, for example, as shown in Figure 11, a hybrid authentication certificate may be performed using the acquired identifier, or a two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier, in addition to the private key β1 attached to the guarantee card 24. Since digital goods are not materialized as physical items and the small recording medium a itself cannot be attached, the private key α1 is omitted, and the hybrid authentication certificate is performed using only the private key β1. In this example in Figure 11, a hybrid authentication certificate may be further performed by combining it with owner verification data (blockchain wallet owner verification).

[0136] Appraisal certificate by count-up The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and may also be implemented by incorporating appraisal certification by counting up.

[0137] This count-up authentication process sequentially records the time of authentication on blockchain 8a each time an authentication is performed. For example, if authentication is performed at 10:15 AM on August 19th, the time of 10:15 AM on August 19th will be recorded on blockchain 8a. If authentication is performed again at 9:54 PM on September 23rd, the time of 9:54 PM on September 23rd will be recorded on blockchain 8a. If authentication is performed again at 1:34 PM on November 4th, the time of 1:34 PM on November 4th will be recorded on blockchain 8a. As a result, each time point in time when authentication is recorded will be sequentially accumulated on blockchain 8a.

[0138] Authentication certificates based on count-up are issued based on the time recorded in this blockchain 8a. For example, if multiple authentication certificates are recorded in blockchain 8a at the same time, it is clear that one of the products requiring authentication 5 is genuine and the other is counterfeit. In such cases, notification to that effect may be provided.

[0139] Furthermore, if the time difference between the appraisal certificates is several tens of seconds, several minutes to several tens of minutes, or several hours, it may be questionable because it is rare to frequently appraise the same item. In such cases, it may be advisable to also notify the relevant parties.

[0140] In this way, the authenticity is determined based on the time of the authentication certificate recorded sequentially on blockchain 8a. At this time, a threshold may be set at the interval between the time points recorded on blockchain 8a, and the authentication certificate may be performed based on whether or not it is below that threshold.

[0141] Furthermore, in addition to the time of the appraisal certificate, location information related to the place where the appraisal certificate was made may also be linked and recorded on Blockchain 8a. For example, if the time of the appraisal certificate is 10:15 AM on August 19th, and the location where the appraisal certificate was made is "Marunouchi, Tokyo," then the time of 10:15 AM on August 19th and the location information "Marunouchi, Tokyo" will be recorded on Blockchain 8a. Next, if the time of the appraisal certificate is 2:09 PM on December 21st, and the location where the appraisal certificate was made is "address XX in Paris," then the time of 2:09 PM on December 21st and the location information "address XX in Paris" will be recorded on Blockchain 8a. As a result, each time point in time when an appraisal certificate is recorded, along with its location information, will be sequentially accumulated on Blockchain 8a.

[0142] In this case, if, in blockchain 8a, the location information at the time of the first authentication certificate is recorded as Tokyo, and the location information at the time of the subsequent authentication certificate is recorded as Paris, and the interval between those times is only 2 hours, it is impossible to travel from Tokyo to Paris by plane in 2 hours, so it is clear that one of the products requiring authentication 5 is genuine and the other is counterfeit. In such cases, notification to that effect may be provided. Specifically, a notification of fraud detection may be sent to the registered email address, or an alert pop-up may be displayed via an application implemented on terminal 2, or a warning may be displayed in red on the screen.

[0143] In this way, the authenticity of the authentication certificate is determined based on the time and location information of the authentication certificates recorded sequentially on blockchain 8a. When setting a threshold for the interval between the time points recorded on blockchain 8a, the threshold may be set in relation to the location information.

[0144] Furthermore, this determination of credibility may be based not only on whether the appraisal certificate was made at a distance that makes travel impossible within a predetermined time, but also on whether an appraisal certificate was made more than a predetermined number of times in a day, or whether the total number of appraisal certificates exceeded a predetermined number, regardless of location information. In other words, the credibility will be determined based on the number of appraisal certificates made within a predetermined period. The credibility will be determined based on whether the number of appraisal certificates made within a predetermined period exceeds a threshold. If the number of appraisal certificates made within a predetermined period exceeds a threshold, it is considered unnatural for so many appraisal certificates to be made in such a short period, so the credibility may be judged as questionable, and an alert may be issued.

[0145] Furthermore, if the product requiring authentication (item 5) is a cosmetic product, and an IC chip-embedded tamper-evident seal is attached, the seal will be damaged upon use. Therefore, it becomes impossible for multiple authentication certificates to be issued. If multiple authentication certificates are issued, it clearly indicates the presence of counterfeit products. In such cases, determining authenticity based on the number of authentication certificates issued within a specified period becomes advantageous.

[0146] Table 1 shows an example of the time and location information of appraisal certificates sequentially recorded on blockchain 8a. The number of appraisal result displays indicates the number of appraisal certificates. The time is displayed via year, month, day, and time. Location information is displayed at the country, prefecture, and city / town level, but is not limited to these.

[0147] [Table 1]

[0148] Incidentally, location information acquisition is implemented, for example, on terminal 2 and / or terminal 72, which are attempting to perform appraisal certification.

[0149] This may involve obtaining current location information through an application, or obtaining such information by tracing the accessed IP address.

[0150] Authentication certificate using traceability The following explains how to use traceability to provide authentication certification.

[0151] Figure 12 shows the flow of the authentication and certification method using traceability. In the authentication and certification method, multiple users involved with the product requiring authentication 5 possess the first verification information. The first verification information includes at least one of the following: the blockchain wallet address, the public key used to generate the blockchain wallet address, the private key used to generate the blockchain wallet address, DID, SSI, DIW, or VC (e.g., G-Biz ID or My Number).

[0152] For example, if DID is used as the primary verification information, the information used can be set for each user. This makes it possible to suppress the use of unnecessary information. In addition to the above, G-BizID or My Number can be positioned as more reliable information than DID. Therefore, by using G-BizID, My Number, or DIW as the primary verification information, it is possible to improve the reliability of the authentication and certification method.

[0153] Furthermore, during authentication and certification, the first verification information held by the user as the authenticator is treated as the first signature information and used to determine its consistency with the first verification information recorded on blockchain 8a, etc. The authentication and certification method can achieve consistency determination by, for example, performing the "signing" and "signature verification" processes in electronic signature technology.

[0154] The following explains the case where a blockchain wallet address is used as the first verification information and first signature information. Note that the same applies when at least one of DID, SSI, DIW, or VC (e.g., G-Biz ID or My Number) is used as the first verification information and first signature information, so the explanation is omitted.

[0155] As a prerequisite for starting this flow, it is assumed that each user, such as manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, and consumers, has been pre-assigned the aforementioned blockchain wallet address. This blockchain wallet address may be assigned by the operator of this system. The private and public keys associated with this blockchain wallet address may be distributed to users such as manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, and consumers who possess the blockchain wallet address, or they may be recorded in a configuration used in the authentication and certification system 1, such as the dedicated platform 8 mentioned above, or they may be included in a small recording medium (e.g., a two-dimensional code) or as part of NFT information, and can be arbitrarily set according to the application. Furthermore, each entity, such as a manufacturer, author, logistics company, or consumer, may independently acquire a blockchain wallet address.

[0156] First, in step S41, digital asset data is acquired for the product requiring appraisal 5. This acquisition of digital asset data is performed on the item to be appraised. As mentioned above, this digital asset data may consist of digital asset data obtained by the manufacturer, producer, author, etc., through such terminal 2, or it may also be data originally assigned to or linked to the product requiring appraisal 5 and recorded on a recording medium. This digital asset data includes all digital content requiring appraisal and certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and each is assigned an extension such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc. At this time, the aforementioned supplementary information and all product information related to the product requiring appraisal 5 may also be acquired together with this digital asset data. In such cases, the digital asset data, registration number, supplementary information, product information, etc. may be written to a CSV file and acquired.

[0157] Next, the process moves to step S42, where such digital asset data, associated information, product information, etc., are registered on the dedicated platform 8. As described above, NFT information is acquired, and a transaction hash corresponding to that NFT information is automatically generated. This transaction hash may be embodied as data such as an ID (also called a TxID), or it may be embodied as a blockchain address.

[0158] Then, a new first hash is generated by further hashing this transaction hash. Note that, in addition to generating the first hash based on the transaction hash, the transaction hash itself may be used as the first hash.

[0159] Furthermore, the issued NFT information is, of course, linked to the transaction hash, but it is also linked to the first hash generated from this transaction hash. This NFT information is recorded on blockchain 8a.

[0160] Next, the process moves to step S43, where, similar to the analog appraisal certificate described above, information including the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be appraised 5, and / or information including the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is read. Then, a second hash is obtained for recording the read information on blockchain 8a.

[0161] Furthermore, Guarantee Card 24 includes not only physical guarantee cards that are materialized as actual card-shaped items, but also logical guarantee cards that exist as digital information without being materialized as physical items.

[0162] Next, the process moves to step S44, where a new third hash is generated based on the obtained first and second hashes. This third hash may be generated by calculating the product or sum of the first and second hashes, or by any other well-known method. The generated third hash is recorded on blockchain 8a. At this time, the third hash may be recorded in conjunction with the aforementioned NFT information and the transaction hash corresponding to that NFT information, along with a two-dimensional code.

[0163] The pre-processing steps S41 to S44 described above may be carried out in advance by the operating company, or by other relevant parties (manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, consumers, etc.). The process by which the product requiring appraisal 5 is distributed from the manufacturer, authors, logistics companies, and consumers is described below starting from step S45.

[0164] In this invention, blockchain wallet addresses may be assigned using a so-called centralized Web 2.0 architecture, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be implemented using Web 3.0, where all of an individual's digital assets are stored in a blockchain wallet without the input of personal information (gender, nationality, race, age, etc.), and no one can delete them. In other words, Web 3.0 may be a so-called decentralized architecture that does not rely on centralization.

[0165] In step S45, the product requiring authentication 5, which was first generated by the manufacturer / producer / author, is transferred to the logistics company. In other words, in step S45, ownership of product requiring authentication 5 is transferred from the manufacturer / producer / author to the logistics company. At the same time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product requiring authentication 5 are also transferred. In addition, ownership of the NFT information of product requiring authentication 5 is also transferred in the same manner.

[0166] Each time a transfer occurs, the blockchain wallet address of the owner of the transfer destination is recorded and linked to the NFT information. Before the transfer, the blockchain wallet addresses of the manufacturer, producer, and author were recorded and linked to the NFT information, but upon transfer, the blockchain wallet address of the logistics company is newly recorded and linked to the NFT information. In such cases, various businesses may record this blockchain wallet address at the time of transfer on blockchain 8a of the dedicated platform 8 using application [A] or the like.

[0167] In other words, in step S45, for example, application [A]9 can be used as a recording means to record the first verification information (in this case, blockchain wallet address) held by each of the multiple users involved with the product to be authenticated 5, linked to the NFT information, in the order in which the multiple users are involved. In step S45, for example, instead of application [A]9, terminals 2, 72 owned by the users or a dedicated platform 8 may be used as a recording means. Furthermore, the destination where the recording means records various information such as the first verification information may be a distributed file server 3 or other databases, in addition to the blockchain 8a.

[0168] Furthermore, in step S45, the logistics company receives the transaction hash or QR code along with the product requiring authentication 5 from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). Upon receiving the transaction hash or QR code, the logistics company can use the transaction hash or QR code to access the blockchain 8a on the dedicated platform 8 and read the NFT information of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded therein.

[0169] The process moves to step S46, where product 5 requiring authentication is transferred from the logistics company to the consumer. At the same time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product 5 are also transferred. The ownership of the NFT information of product 5 is also transferred.

[0170] Each time an NFT is transferred, the blockchain wallet address of the new owner is linked to and recorded with the NFT information; therefore, the blockchain wallet address of the new owner is linked to and recorded with the NFT information.

[0171] Furthermore, in step S46, the consumer receives the transaction hash or QR code along with the product requiring authentication 5 from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). Upon receiving the transaction hash or QR code, the consumer can use the transaction hash or QR code to access the blockchain 8a on the dedicated platform 8 and read the NFT information of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded therein.

[0172] Such consumers can attempt to have their product requiring authentication 5 authenticated via the dedicated platform 8. Step S47 is described below as an example of the operation during authentication, and the user, such as a consumer, who attempts this authentication will be referred to as the authentication certifier.

[0173] In step S47, the appraiser first accesses the dedicated platform 8, and by extension the blockchain 8a, to perform the task of writing to the log. This task of writing to the log can be performed from the application's user interface, and the appraiser enters personal information such as their name and date of birth, or any other information, following the guidance on the user interface. Even without guidance from the user interface, any information entered by the appraiser, or any string of characters that does not have meaning as information, may be considered as this task of writing to the log.

[0174] In such a case, if the authenticator has been assigned a private key when allocating a blockchain wallet address, they may access the log via this private key. Of course, the authenticator may also generate and use their own blockchain address. Upon signing via the private key, the blockchain wallet address can be automatically obtained on blockchain 8a. Alternatively, the private key may be entered on the user interface, and the dedicated platform 8 may verify whether a blockchain wallet address has been assigned to that private key. If a blockchain wallet address has been assigned to the private key, the dedicated platform 8 will sign it. If this signature is made, the log writing is considered successful; otherwise, the log writing is considered a failure. This signature may be performed automatically by a program.

[0175] To write logs, you might configure the system to require a signature via a private key, for example. Once signed, the blockchain wallet address can be automatically obtained on blockchain 8a. Therefore, by prompting the authenticator to write logs through the user interface, the blockchain wallet address can be obtained. For example, the public key could be identified through the private key, and the blockchain wallet address could be obtained through this public key.

[0176] The dedicated platform 8 can determine whether it is the owner of the blockchain wallet address. On the other hand, if it fails to write the log, it can determine that it is not the owner of the blockchain wallet address. If it is determined that it is the owner of the blockchain wallet address, it reads out the determined blockchain wallet address (hereinafter referred to as the second blockchain wallet address or first signature information).

[0177] Furthermore, the method for obtaining the second blockchain wallet address is not limited to the method described above; it may be obtained by any other method. This second blockchain wallet address may also be obtained by having the certifying party directly input it.

[0178] Furthermore, in step S47, the blockchain wallet address linked to the NFT information corresponding to the transaction hash or the corresponding two-dimensional code obtained from the authenticator is read from blockchain 8a. This blockchain wallet address read from blockchain 8a is hereinafter referred to as the first blockchain wallet address (or first verification information).

[0179] Next, the consistency between the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address is determined. If the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address are identical, the verification is complete. Through this verification, it can be determined that product 5 requiring authentication is genuine and not a counterfeit. On the other hand, if the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address are not identical, it can be determined that the person providing the authentication is not the owner of product 5 requiring authentication.

[0180] The reason for this is that each time ownership of NFT information is transferred, the first blockchain wallet address, which is recorded and linked to it, serves as proof that it is genuine. The holder of the second blockchain wallet address, which is identical to the first blockchain wallet address, serves as proof that the person holding the authentic product 5 currently possesses it. Therefore, by determining the consistency between the first and second blockchain wallet addresses, it is possible to certify the authenticity of product 5.

[0181] For example, the first verification information, such as the first blockchain address, read in step S47 is consistent with the first signature information held by the most recent user involved with product 5 among multiple users. In this case, only the most recent user can perform the authentication as the authenticator in step S47. Therefore, it becomes easy to identify the user who currently owns or manages product 5.

[0182] Furthermore, the first verification information, such as the first blockchain address, read in step S47 is consistent with the first signature information held by, for example, a user who was involved with product 5 before the most recent user involved (i.e., a past user). In this case, in step S47, a past user can act as an authenticator and perform the authentication. This makes it possible to identify users who have been involved with product 5.

[0183] For example, step S47 may perform a process that grants a user who has met the authentication requirements for product 5 the authority to view at least a portion of the information related to product 5 (e.g., product information and transaction information used when recording on blockchain 8a).

[0184] In addition to this, in step S47, you may also make a decision by combining this with, for example, the appraisal certificate described later.

[0185] In step S47, a fourth hash is generated based on the transaction hash obtained from the authenticator or the transaction hash linked to the NFT information corresponding to the two-dimensional code. The method for generating this fourth hash is the same as the method for generating the first hash described above.

[0186] Furthermore, in step S47, information including the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5, and / or information including the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is read. Then, a fifth hash is obtained, which is generated when recording the read information on blockchain 8a.

[0187] Next, a new sixth hash is generated based on the obtained fourth and fifth hashes. The method for generating this sixth hash is the same as the method for generating the third hash described above.

[0188] The consistency between the sixth hash and the third hash obtained in this way is then determined.

[0189] If product 5 requiring authentication is genuine, the fifth hash generated when recording the information read from the small recording medium (a1) 51a and small recording medium (b) 52a onto blockchain 8a will be identical to the second hash. Furthermore, if the authenticator possesses the genuine product, the fourth hash generated based on the transaction hash received from the dedicated platform 8 (e.g., the marketplace) or the transaction hash linked to the QR code will be identical to the first hash.

[0190] Therefore, by checking whether the sixth hash generated based on the fourth and fifth hashes is identical to the third hash, it is possible to determine whether the product requiring authentication 5 is genuine or not. Specifically, after generating the sixth hash, a search is performed to check whether an identical third hash is stored on blockchain 8a. In this way, by performing the determination not only using the first and second hashes, but also using the third hash generated based on them, confidentiality can be further improved. In addition, when recording on blockchain 8a, instead of recording both the first and second hashes, only one third hash reflecting them needs to be recorded, which improves the recording speed and speeds up processing.

[0191] Furthermore, in this invention, authentication of product 5 requiring authentication may be performed by determining both the consistency between the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address, and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. That is, if the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address are the same, and the third hash and the sixth hash are the same, the verification is completed. Through the completion of the verification, it is determined that product 5 requiring authentication is genuine. On the other hand, if either or both of the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address, or the third hash and the sixth hash are not the same, it can be determined that the person providing the authentication is not the owner of product 5 requiring authentication.

[0192] Thus, the present invention allows authentication and certification to be performed based on two completely different methods: the consistency between the first blockchain wallet address and the second blockchain wallet address, and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. Therefore, even if an item is successfully identified as genuine by one of the authentication methods, if it is identified as counterfeit by the other authentication method, that item 5 requiring authentication will not be identified as genuine. In this way, for items among the items requiring authentication 5 that require stronger authentication, a higher level of authentication accuracy can be achieved.

[0193] In addition to performing steps S43 to S47 described above using applications [A]9 and [B]11, steps S43 to S47 may also be performed using the dedicated platform 8, for example, at least in part.

[0194] In addition to the above, for example, the authentication method may perform authentication without generating the third and sixth hashes. In this case, the authentication uses the second to fourth verification information and the second to fourth signature information. Each piece of verification information and each piece of signature information may include, for example, information in hash format, as well as information obtained by encrypting or digitally signing (hereinafter described as encryption, etc.) the hash format information. Each piece of verification information and each piece of signature information may include, for example, at least one of a private key and a public key used for encryption, etc.

[0195] In this case, for example, as shown in Figure 13, in step S43a, which is a modified version of step S43, second verification information is recorded on blockchain 8a based on information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5. The second verification information may indicate information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information, or it may indicate information obtained by performing encryption or other processing using the private key α1 on information including at least one of the product information and transaction information. In addition to the above, the second verification information may indicate, for example, information in hash format obtained when recording at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information on blockchain 8a, or information obtained by performing encryption or other processing on the hash.

[0196] Furthermore, in step S43a, for example, third verification information is recorded on blockchain 8a based on information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24. The third verification information may indicate information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information, or it may indicate information obtained by encrypting or otherwise processing the information including at least one of the product information and transaction information using the private key β1. In addition to the above, the third verification information may indicate information in hash format obtained when recording at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information on blockchain 8a, or information obtained by encrypting or otherwise processing the hash.

[0197] Furthermore, in step S43a, for example, fourth verification information generated based on the transaction hash is recorded on the blockchain. The fourth verification information may indicate the transaction hash, or it may indicate information obtained by encrypting the transaction hash, for example. The fourth verification information may also be generated based on a two-dimensional code corresponding to the transaction hash, for example.

[0198] Step S43a can be performed using application [A]9, or, for example, at least some of the processing can be performed using the dedicated platform 8.

[0199] Subsequently, without performing step S44 described above, in step S47a, which is a variation of step S47, second signature information is obtained based on information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5 obtained from the authenticator. The second signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate information in hash format generated when reading at least one of the product information and transaction information and recording the read information on blockchain 8a. The second signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0200] Furthermore, in step S47a, third signature information is obtained based on information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 obtained from the authenticator. The third signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate information in hash format generated when reading at least one of the product information and transaction information and recording the read information on the blockchain 8a. The third signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0201] Furthermore, in step S47a, a fourth signature information is obtained, for example, based on a transaction hash obtained from an authenticator or a corresponding two-dimensional code. The fourth signature information may also be obtained, for example, by performing the same generation method as the fourth hash described above.

[0202] Subsequently, in step S47a, the consistency between the second verification information and the second signature information, the consistency between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the consistency between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information are determined. The consistency between each piece of verification information and the signature information may be determined by, for example, information of the same format (e.g., information in hash format), or by one piece of information in hash format and the other piece of information that has undergone encryption or other processing. In either case, the determination can be made using publicly known techniques. Furthermore, as a method for determining the consistency between each piece of signature information and each piece of verification information, for example, after obtaining each piece of signature information, the determination of whether or not it is identical may be made based on the result of searching whether or not identical verification information is recorded on blockchain 8a.

[0203] In this case, for example, if at least one of the comparison results between the first verification information and the first signature information, the comparison result between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the comparison result between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information is consistent, then the authentication of product 5 requiring authentication may be satisfied (i.e., genuine). This makes it possible to authenticate product 5 requiring authentication using other information even if some of the information used for authentication is defective, thereby expanding the possibilities of its application.

[0204] Step S47a can be performed using application [B]11, or, for example, at least some of the processing can be performed using the dedicated platform 8.

[0205] According to the authentication and certification system 1 in the embodiment described above, it is possible to perform highly reliable authentication and certification even when performing authentication and certification for digital goods. Furthermore, the authentication and certification method in the embodiment described above can be implemented, for example, using each component of the authentication and certification system 1, and it is possible to perform highly reliable authentication and certification even when performing authentication and certification for digital goods.

[0206] Furthermore, the electronic devices mentioned above, such as terminals 2 and 72, the distributed file server 3, the dedicated platform 8, application [A] 9, and application [B] 11, are equipped with, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory), and perform the various processes described above. In addition, these electronic devices are equipped with data storage devices such as HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) to store various types of information.

[0207] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Such novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents.

[0208] Furthermore, the present invention relates to multi-signature authentication in which authentication is established when multiple authentication elements are present. Here, "authentication is established when multiple authentication elements are present" strictly means that authentication is established when an integer number greater than half of the multiple authentication elements are present. However, this embodiment is not limited to this form, and in other forms, "authentication is established when multiple authentication elements are present" may mean "authentication is established when all authentication elements are present." Note that the above multi-signature authentication is an abbreviation for multi-signature authentication. Multi-signature (multi-signature) is one of the security technologies on the internet, and multi-signature refers to a state in which multiple digital signatures are required when sending information such as crypto assets. More specifically, the sender applies a function called a hash function to the data and obtains a hash value as the output value. Next, the sender encrypts the hash with a private key known only to the sender and sends the original data, the encrypted hash, and the public key to the recipient. The recipient first applies the hash function to the original data to obtain a hash, and then decrypts the encrypted hash with the public key. If the obtained hash matches the decrypted hash, it proves that the original data sent by the sender is from the sender themselves and has not been tampered with. Here, to address the issue of private key leakage, multi-signature requires multiple private keys when sending data.

[0209] Multi-signature authentication is a security method that requires multiple digital signatures to approve a specific action or transaction. The multiple authentication elements used to perform multi-signature authentication may include, for example, a combination of one or more product information and one or more transaction information, a combination of one or more verification information and one or more signature information, or a combination of multiple private keys. However, the authentication elements are not limited to these. In addition, "third-party authentication" may be added to the authentication element (ID). "Third-party authentication" can be an authentication objectively recognized by national governments, public institutions, experts, think tanks, non-profit organizations, etc. (for example, "gBizID" or "My Number (individual number)" in Japan), and is not limited to these, and can of course be substituted with any other authentication. These technical matters are described in detail below.

[0210] In the appraisal certification system 1 shown in Figure 1, etc., the appraisal certification of the item to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication, which requires multiple correspondences, during the appraisal certification process. This makes it possible to perform highly reliable appraisal certification even when appraising analog goods or digital goods. The item to be appraised may be the product (tangible object) itself, the digital goods data of the product (tangible object) to be appraised, or digital goods data without a tangible object (see Figure 23). Furthermore, at least one of the multiple authentication elements used to perform multi-signature authentication may be third-party certified. In addition, during the appraisal certification process, the appraisal certification of the item to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, which is individually assigned to the item to be appraised based on the digital goods data of the item to be appraised, as one of the multiple correspondences; or the appraisal certification of the item to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the second identifier, which is generated when the information of the item to be appraised linked to the first identifier is recorded on the blockchain; or the appraisal certification of the item to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication using both the first and second identifiers.

[0211] Furthermore, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those utilizing blockchain technology using so-called distributed ledger technology (DLT (a configuration in which the same data is recorded in all files)). When authenticating a product, product information relating to the product to be authenticated and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product to be authenticated reaches the consumer are read from a dedicated platform 8, and the authentication of the product to be authenticated is performed using the read transaction information and product information. In any case, it is not necessary for the same data to be recorded in all files; various other configurations may be used. In yet another configuration, verification information linked to the identifier of the product to be authenticated 5 is read from the dedicated platform 8, the consistency of the verification information and the signature information held by the authenticator is determined, and the authentication of the product to be authenticated 5 is performed by referring to the determined consistency of the verification information and the signature information. Product information refers to overall data or detailed information relating to the product, such as the basic characteristics, design, quality, price, usage method, market position, etc., and consists of one or more of these pieces of information. Furthermore, transaction information refers to a comprehensive collection of important data or information necessary for business operations, such as details of goods and services related to business transactions, prices, market trends, customer data, competitor information, supply chain management, and compliance with legal regulations, and consists of one or more of these pieces of information. Embodiments relating to other aspects of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 23. When describing embodiments relating to other aspects of the present invention using Figures 14 to 23, the same reference numerals are used for components that are the same as those in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 13, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0212] The system configuration of the authentication and certification system according to another aspect of the present invention is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 1, except that the distributed file server 3 is not used. Instead of the distributed file server 3, storage 103 may be used (see Figure 15), or storage 103 may not be used at all (see Figure 16). Also, the dedicated platform 8 does not have a blockchain 8a, but instead has a database 108 (see Figures 15, 16, etc.). The database 108 does not need to be recorded in a single table; it is sufficient if the elemental data are linked to each other in some way. It is sufficient if elements recorded across multiple storage means are linked to each other in some way.

[0213] In other embodiments of the present invention, such as those shown in Figures 14 to 23, appraisal and certification systems can also realize two main types of appraisal and certification: digital appraisal and certification and hybrid appraisal and certification, as described below.

[0214] Digital Property Authentication Certificate First, let's explain the processing operation for digital asset authentication certification. Digital asset authentication certification can be performed by acquiring digital asset data for the product 5 requiring authentication, as shown in Figure 14(a), or the object of authentication certification may be any digital content itself that requires authentication certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, or digital video, which are intangible objects that do not originate from tangible objects. This acquisition of digital asset data is performed on the object of authentication certification, whether tangible or intangible. Figure 23 shows analog goods, digital goods obtained by digitizing tangible objects, and digital goods that are digital from the beginning. Analog goods refer to the tangible object itself. Digital goods obtained by digitizing tangible objects are digital image data consisting of digital asset data captured using terminal 2 or a digital camera, etc., on the product 5 requiring authentication as a tangible object. In addition to digital goods obtained by digitizing the product 5 requiring authentication as a tangible object, digital goods that are digital from the beginning may also be used as digital goods. Digital asset data may consist of digital asset data obtained by manufacturers, producers, authors, etc., through such terminal 2, or it may also consist of data originally attached to or linked to the product requiring appraisal 5 and recorded on a storage medium. This digital asset data includes all digital content requiring appraisal and certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and may have extensions such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc.

[0215] Manufacturers, producers, authors, etc., may record the digital asset data of the product requiring appraisal 5 obtained in this manner on a dedicated platform 8. The platform on which the digital asset data of the product requiring appraisal 5 is recorded is not limited to the dedicated platform 8, but may be a platform used for both purposes. As a result, this dedicated platform 8 may obtain an identifier individually assigned to the product requiring appraisal. In this case, a hashed identifier may be obtained, and a two-dimensional code corresponding to that identifier may be automatically generated. Through the identifier of the product requiring appraisal 5 issued and generated in this way, it becomes possible to determine whether the product requiring appraisal 5 is genuine or not. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14(b), digital asset data is recorded in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, and an identifier is issued, from which a unique two-dimensional code A can be generated. This unique two-dimensional code A can be one of the authentication elements of a multi-signature authentication system according to another aspect of the present invention.

[0216] Figures 15 and 16 are flowcharts showing the process from digital asset data to issuing a two-dimensional code. Figure 15 is a flowchart for the case where storage 103 is present, and Figure 16 is a flowchart for the case where storage 103 is not present.

[0217] If storage 103 is available, as shown in Figure 15, first in step S111, various businesses such as manufacturers, producers, and copyright holders (hereinafter referred to as "various businesses") acquire digital asset data for the product 5 to be appraised and record it on the dedicated platform 8. This processing operation for recording digital asset data is performed by the various businesses accessing the dedicated platform 8 via terminal 2. In such cases, the various businesses may also access the dedicated platform 8 from within terminal 2 and perform the necessary procedures by installing applications in advance.

[0218] Next, the process moves to step S112, where the dedicated platform 8 receives the digital goods data. When the dedicated platform 8 receives the digital goods data, it issues a registration number for that digital goods data, such as a marketplace registration number. Since this registration number is issued each time digital goods data is received, it is unique.

[0219] Next, the process moves to step S113, where the digital asset data and issued registration number received in step S112, along with information on various businesses, etc., are compiled into a single folder and recorded in storage 103. Details of the information on various businesses, etc., include names, corporate information, pen names, pseudonyms, etc., while the artwork information includes artwork title, year of creation, year of publication, artwork specifications (size, format, technology used), copyright of the artwork, and rights information such as portrait rights and design rights included in the artwork. The method of compiling the digital asset data, registration number, and information on various businesses, etc., into a single folder during this recording is just one example; any method is acceptable as long as the digital asset data, registration number, and information on various businesses, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as "ancillary information") are recorded in a way that links them together. Note that product information and transaction information each include ancillary information.

[0220] Next, the process moves to step S114, where storage 103 issues a unique ID for each piece of recorded supplementary information. The ID issued for digital asset data is called the first ID, the ID issued for registration numbers is called the second IDa, and the ID issued for information on various businesses, etc., is called the second IDb.

[0221] Regarding digital asset data, if identical digital asset data already exists elsewhere, or if the digital asset data has been copied by another party, the same first ID may be issued. On the other hand, supplementary information such as registration numbers is unique, so the second IDa will be unique. Information on various businesses, such as company names, dates of birth, copyright holders' names, and titles of copyrighted works, may not be unique depending on the content, but since it is possible to set up a unique ID for each, the second IDb can also be unique. For example, by adding time information such as the date and time and seconds recorded in storage 103, the certainty of uniqueness can be increased. Note that at least the digital asset data may be recorded in storage 103 in this step S114.

[0222] Next, the process moves to step S115, where a unique identifier α is generated based on the associated supplementary information. This generated identifier α can be linked to the supplementary information, thereby becoming the identifier α held by that supplementary information. This identifier α may also be generated based on the first ID, second IDa, and second IDb described above. Since second IDa is unique and second IDb is also unique, even if the same digital asset data (first ID) is identical or a copy, the newly generated identifier α will always be unique. This hashed and generated identifier may also be called identifier α. Note that the generation of this identifier α may be based on rules defined in storage 103 based on the supplementary information placed in the folder. Alternatively, a two-dimensional code may be generated based on the generated identifier α (step S123).

[0223] The process moves to step S116, where the dedicated platform 8 receives identifier α from storage 103. If a two-dimensional code was generated in step S123, the dedicated platform 8 may also receive the two-dimensional code from storage 103. Next, the process moves to step S117, where the dedicated platform 8 sends identifier α, based on the accompanying information, to database 108. In step S118, database 108 records identifier α, which was sent from the dedicated platform 8, in database 108. By recording identifier α in database 108 in this way, it is possible to completely prevent, for example, tampering with identifier α. Recording identifier α in database 108 may also include temporarily storing the data of identifier α in a cache.

[0224] Next, the process moves to step S119, where identifier β for product 5 requiring appraisal is generated. This generation of identifier β may be performed simultaneously with the recording of identifier α in database 108. The issued identifier β is sent to a dedicated platform 8 (for example, a marketplace) to receive it (step S120).

[0225] The database 108 also transmits the identifier β of the product requiring appraisal 5 to various businesses, etc., as needed (step S121). The various businesses, etc., receive this identifier β (step S122).

[0226] If storage 103 is not available, as shown in Figure 16, in step S111, various businesses may first acquire digital asset data for the product to be appraised 5 and record it on the dedicated platform 8. Next, the process may proceed to step S112, where the dedicated platform 8 records the digital asset data. The recorded data may be transmitted from the dedicated platform 8 to the database 108.

[0227] Next, the process moves to step S118, where the data transmitted from the dedicated platform 8 is recorded in the database 108. Then, the process moves to step S119, where the identifier γ of the product requiring appraisal 5 is generated. The generation of this identifier γ may be performed simultaneously with the recording of the data in the database 108.

[0228] The database 108 also transmits the identifier γ of the product requiring appraisal 5 to various businesses, etc., as needed (step S121). The various businesses, etc., receive this identifier γ (step S122).

[0229] Furthermore, the authority to acquire digital asset data and record it on the dedicated platform 8 may be limited to various businesses and other entities. For example, if the products requiring appraisal 5 include bags, handbags, clothing, watches, works of art and crafts, automobiles, etc., the authority to record digital asset data on this dedicated platform 8 may be granted only to various businesses and other entities or those authorized to act as sales agents for such products.

[0230] Various businesses, or consumers who purchase a new or used product 5 requiring authentication as a genuine product, receive the identifiers β and γ of the product 5 along with the product 5 from the business or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). The businesses or consumers who receive the identifiers β and γ can access the dedicated platform 8 and retrieve the identifiers β and γ of the product 5 recorded there. This allows only genuine businesses or consumers who possess the identifiers β and γ of the product 5 to easily perform reliable authentication. Specifically, as shown in Figure 15, if storage 103 is available, authentication of the product 5 can be performed using either identifier α or identifier β, or using both identifiers α and β. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 16, if storage 103 is unavailable, authentication of the product 5 can be performed using identifier γ. Therefore, third parties who do not possess the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 cannot perform such authentication.

[0231] In this way, in digital appraisal and certification, unique identifiers α, β, and γ are sequentially written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8 for each genuine product 5 requiring appraisal by various businesses, etc. This ensures that the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 requiring appraisal are accurately recorded, and completely prevents tampering with the identifiers α, β, and γ. Therefore, various businesses, etc., that handle the product 5 requiring appraisal, or consumers who purchase the product 5 that has been distributed through complex distribution channels or sold via the internet, can easily provide highly reliable appraisal and certification.

[0232] It should be noted that the digital asset appraisal certificate is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in step S113, we described a case where ancillary information is recorded together with the digital asset data to generate identifiers α, β, and γ, but it is not limited to this, and any method that records at least some information linked to the digital asset data is acceptable. The information referred to here consists of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data, such as the registration number and ancillary information of various businesses mentioned above. The ancillary information may consist of only one of either the registration number or the information of various businesses. Alternatively, the ancillary information may not include either the registration number or the information of various businesses, but instead consist of any information or data that is related to or generated in conjunction with the digital asset data.

[0233] As described above, in an appraisal and certification system according to another aspect of the present invention, the system includes a server that generates identifiers β and γ (first identifiers) individually assigned to the digital asset to be appraised based on the digital asset data to be appraised, a platform (dedicated platform 8) that records the generated identifiers β and γ, and recording means that records verification information held by each of the multiple users related to the asset to be appraised, linked to the identifiers, and the appraisal and certification of the asset to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication that requires multiple correspondences. Even with such an appraisal and certification system, it is possible to perform appraisal and certification with high reliability. In this case, the appraisal and certification system may further include a storage 103 that generates identifiers α (second identifiers) individually assigned to the digital asset data to be appraised based on the digital asset data to be appraised. Furthermore, during the appraisal and certification process, the appraisal and certification of the asset to be appraised may be performed by multi-signature authentication using only the first identifier, only the second identifier, or both the first and second identifiers as multiple correspondences. In addition, at least one authentication element used to perform multi-signature authentication may be subject to third-party authentication.

[0234] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, an appraisal and certification system includes a server that generates identifiers β and γ, which are individually assigned to the item to be appraised, based on the digital asset data of the item to be appraised; a platform (dedicated platform 8) for recording the generated identifiers β and γ; and recording means for recording product information relating to the item to be appraised and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the item reaches the consumer, linked to the identifiers β and γ. At the time of appraisal and certification, the product information and transaction information linked to the identifiers β and γ are read from the platform, and the appraisal and certification of the item to be appraised is performed using the product information and transaction information. Even with such an appraisal and certification system, it is possible to perform appraisal and certification with high reliability.

[0235] Hybrid Appraisal Certificate Next, the processing operation of the hybrid authentication certificate will be explained. In the hybrid authentication certificate, in addition to the digital authentication certificate described above, an analog authentication certificate may be combined to perform an authentication of the product 5 requiring authentication with higher accuracy. In such an analog authentication certificate, a guarantee card 24 that is sold and distributed together with the product 5 requiring authentication, as shown in Figure 4, may be used. The product information on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product 5 requiring authentication and the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 may be entered by various vendors, etc., at the time of shipment of the product 5 requiring authentication.

[0236] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of analog goods authentication certification. In performing analog goods authentication certification, in addition to the components necessary for digital goods authentication certification as described above, the system consists of a dedicated platform 8 that records product information of the product to be authenticated 5 and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product to be authenticated 5 reaches the consumer in a database 108, a terminal 2a connected to the dedicated platform 8 via a public communication network 10 using application [A] 9, and a terminal 2b connected to the dedicated platform 8 via a public communication network 10 using application [B] 11. Various businesses may write product information and transaction information to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8 using application [A] 9.

[0237] Consumers can use application [B]11 to read product information and transaction information of product 5 that has been written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, using the private key α1 assigned to product 5 requiring authentication and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24, thereby enabling consumers to easily obtain reliable authentication certificates.

[0238] Application [A]9 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2a, and various businesses can use it to write product information and transaction information to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. Application [B]11 is downloaded and operated on terminal 2b, and consumers can read product information and transaction information of the product requiring appraisal 5 that has been written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. For example, application [A]9 may have the same functions as application [B]11, and application [B]11 may have the same functions as application [A]9.

[0239] The reading of the information including the secret key α1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product requiring authentication 5, and the reading of the information including the secret key β1 and product information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24, can be achieved via wireless communication by bringing a reader 25 connected to terminal 2a or terminal 2b configured as a smartphone into close proximity. In such cases, it can also be done contactlessly using short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or RFID (Radio Frequency IDenticifier).

[0240] After the product requiring authentication 5 is manufactured by various companies, etc., it is shipped together with a guarantee card 24. When shipping, the person in charge of the various companies, etc. may first use application [A] 9 to write the following product information, including some or all of the 5W1H information (who, when, where, what, why, how), such as product name, product number, various companies, place of manufacture, date of manufacture, etc., into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0241] Next, representatives of various vendors may use application [A]9 to write information including the inspection results of product information recorded by the representatives of various vendors, and some or all of the 5W1H information, into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0242] Next, after the product requiring appraisal 5 has been shipped from various suppliers, the logistics company may use application [A] 9 to write information including the date and time the product was received from the suppliers, the date and time it was delivered to the wholesaler, and some or all of the 5W1H information into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0243] After the product requiring appraisal 5 is received from the logistics company, the wholesaler may use application [A] 9 to write information including the date and time the product was delivered from the logistics company and 5W1H information into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0244] In this way, product information and transaction information from various vendors are sequentially written into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8.

[0245] Furthermore, the authority to write product information and transaction information to database 108 may be limited to each of the various businesses involved in this information. For example, each of the various businesses may only be granted the authority to write product information.

[0246] In this way, various businesses and other entities sequentially record product information and transaction information for product 5 requiring authentication. Therefore, even if product 5 requires authentication follows a complex distribution route or is sold via the internet, its product information and transaction information can be accurately recorded.

[0247] Consumers who purchase a new or used product requiring authentication 5 can use terminal 2b to retrieve product information and transaction information for product requiring authentication 5, which have been written to the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, using application [B] 11, with the private key α1 assigned to product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to guarantee card 24. This allows only genuine consumers who own product requiring authentication 5 and guarantee card 24 to easily provide reliable authentication certificates.

[0248] Even in such analog property appraisal and certification, similarly, a consumer who has purchased a to-be-appraised product 5 that has been distributed through a complex distribution channel or sold via the Internet can easily perform highly reliable appraisal and certification. In this analog property appraisal and certification, various traders and the like may sequentially write the product information and transaction information of the to-be-appraised product 5 into the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. As a result, the product information and transaction information can be accurately recorded, and tampering with the product information and transaction information can be completely prevented. Therefore, the reliability of appraisal and certification can be further improved.

[0249] Further, in the analog property appraisal and certification, by using the private key α1 assigned to the to-be-appraised product 5 and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 to read the product information and transaction information of the to-be-appraised product 5 written in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8, only the genuine consumer who owns the to-be-appraised product 5 and the guarantee card 24 can perform the appraisal and certification. Therefore, a third party who does not possess the to-be-appraised product 5 or the guarantee card 24 cannot perform such appraisal and certification itself.

[0250] In addition, in performing the analog property appraisal and certification, the to-be-appraised product 5 may be provided with a small recording medium (a1), as well as small recording media (a2) to small recording media (a n recording information including the private key α n ) (n is an integer of 2 or more) affixed to or incorporated into the to-be-appraised product. Thereby, not only the private key α1 and the private key β1, but also, for example, the private keys α2 to α n multi-signature authentication can be adopted, in which appraisal and certification is established when at least two of all the private keys (for example, the private key α1, and at least one of the private keys β1, α2 to α n ) are collected, so that the appraisal accuracy can be made more reliable. As described above, multi-signature authentication refers to a security technique that requires multiple electronic signatures when approving a specific action or transaction. Further, the n small recording media (a1) to (a nBy attaching or incorporating the ) to each part of product 5 requiring authentication, it is possible to detect if some of the parts have been replaced with counterfeits. For example, if product 5 requiring authentication is an automobile, authentication certification can be performed for all parts by attaching or incorporating small recording media to the car body and each tire.

[0251] Furthermore, in the authentication certification system 1, preferably, a small recording medium (a1) to (a n ) and at least one of the above-mentioned small recording media (b) may be equipped with a GPS function. This makes it easy to locate any part of the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card even if they are lost or stolen.

[0252] When performing a hybrid appraisal certificate that combines such an analog appraisal certificate with the digital appraisal certificate described above, as shown in Figure 18(a), in addition to the product 5 to be appraised and the guarantee card 24 required for the analog appraisal certificate, identifiers α, β, γ, or a two-dimensional code for the product 5 to be appraised required for the digital appraisal certificate may also be prepared.

[0253] Furthermore, using terminal 72, the private key α1 assigned to the product requiring authentication 5 and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 may be used to read the product information and transaction information of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. In addition, the identifiers α, β, γ or the two-dimensional code of the product requiring authentication 5 may be used to access the application installed on terminal 72 and perform authentication certification. The application can determine the integrity of the identifiers α, β, γ or the two-dimensional code, and can also determine whether the read product information and transaction information of the product requiring authentication 5 are correct. Only when all of the authentication results in these multi-signature authentications are determined to be correct can the product requiring authentication 5 be determined to be genuine.

[0254] Even if the private key α1 assigned to the product 5 to be authenticated used in the analog product authentication certificate, and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, were forged or illegally duplicated, this hybrid authentication certificate cannot be overlooked unless authentication is performed through the identifiers α, β, γ, or QR code of the product 5 to be authenticated used in the digital product authentication certificate. In other words, this hybrid authentication certificate, by combining analog product authentication certificates with digital product authentication certificates, makes it possible to provide a more reliable authentication certificate system.

[0255] Other embodiments of the present invention have been described using the example shown in Figure 18(a), where, in addition to the product requiring authentication 5 and the guarantee card 24, identifiers α, β, γ, or a two-dimensional code for the product requiring authentication 5 are prepared. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in Figure 18(b), a hybrid authentication certificate can be similarly performed by preparing only a combination of the product requiring authentication 5 or the guarantee card 24, and identifiers α, β, γ, or a two-dimensional code for the product requiring authentication 5.

[0256] In other words, in analog product authentication, the private key α1 assigned to the product 5 to be authenticated, or the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24, is used to read the product information and transaction information of the product 5 recorded in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8. In addition, the identifiers α, β, γ or a two-dimensional code of the product 5 to be authenticated can be used to determine authenticity via an application installed on the terminal 72. Only when all of the authentication results in these multi-signature authentications are determined to be correct can the product 5 to be authenticated be judged to be genuine.

[0257] As an alternative to the aforementioned guarantee card 24, a microchip (IC chip), a two-dimensional code, a digital watermark, etc., may be used as appropriate, depending on their shape, structure, size, etc.

[0258] Figure 19 shows a flowchart of ownership verification through an identifier δ representing a user, in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0259] In step S131, owner 41 first requests a one-time token from backend 42. Owner 41 sends and receives information through the frontend. The frontend is the element that directly exchanges data with owner 41, and in web development, it refers to the web browser side (client side). Backend 42 refers to server-side processing, and generally refers to the mechanisms, functions, and components such as servers, databases, functions, and programs or modules that are responsible for processing, which are not visible to owner 41.

[0260] Next, the process moves to step S132, where the backend 42 returns a one-time token to the owner 41. The validity period of this one-time token may be, for example, a few seconds to a few minutes.

[0261] Next, the process moves to step S133, where the owner 41 requests the identifier δ143, which represents the user, to create a signature. Then, the process moves to step S134, where the identifier δ143, which represents the user, returns the signature to the owner 41.

[0262] Next, the process moves to step S135, where the owner 41 sends the message, one-time token, signature data, and user identifier δ143 to the backend 42. That is, before signing, the owner requests a one-time token for owner authentication from the backend 42, which can then be used for signing. The one-time token mentioned above is also sent along with the signature data to the backend 42. The backend 42 verifies the signature data and the one-time token.

[0263] Backend 42 may convert the signed message into hash data according to the standard. Then, it sends the hash message and signature data to the automated response program 144 (step S136). The automated response program 144 is a mechanism that automatically executes contracts on the database 108 and may run on the database 108 server. Next, the process moves to step S137, where the automated response program 144 returns the verification address to backend 42. Backend 42 verifies the verification address.

[0264] Next, the process moves to step S138, where the backend 42 sends a certificate of ownership for the user identifier δ143 to the owner 41. If the owner 41 wishes to provide a certificate of ownership for the product requiring authentication 5, this can be done by reading the certificate of ownership data recorded in the database 108 in this manner.

[0265] Therefore, as an alternative to the analog appraisal certificates mentioned above, a hybrid appraisal certificate can be performed by reading the owner certification data (owner certification for user identifier δ143) recorded in the database 108, and based on the identifiers α, β, γ, or two-dimensional codes of the product 5 to be appraised issued from the dedicated platform 8, as shown in Figure 20(a).

[0266] In addition to this, when using the owner certification of the identifier δ143 that indicates such a user, an analog appraisal certificate may be further combined with it, as shown in Figure 20(b). In such a case, the private key α1 assigned to the product to be appraised 5 in the analog appraisal certificate and the private key β1 assigned to the guarantee card 24 may be used, or private key α1 or private key β1 may be used. Based on the owner certification data (owner certification of the identifier δ143 that indicates the user), the identifiers α, β, γ or two-dimensional code of the product to be appraised 5, and private key α1 and / or private key β1, a hybrid appraisal certificate can be performed.

[0267] Authentication certificate using traceability Hereinafter, an appraisal and certification method using traceability will be described. Figure 21 shows the flow of an appraisal and certification method using traceability. In this appraisal and certification method, a plurality of users related to the product 5 requiring appraisal hold first verification information. The first verification information is information read from the dedicated platform 8 and associated with the identifier obtained from the appraisal certifier. The first verification information includes the aforementioned identifier δ143 indicating the user.

[0268] Further, at the time of appraisal and certification, the first verification information held by the user acting as the appraisal certifier is regarded as first signature information, and is used to determine consistency with the first verification information recorded in the database 108. In this appraisal and certification method, the consistency determination can be realized by executing, for example, the processes of "signature" and "signature verification" in electronic signature technology.

[0269] Hereinafter, a case where the identifier δ143 indicating a user is used as the first verification information and the first signature information will be described. In the following description, a two-dimensional code may be used in place of the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 requiring appraisal.

[0270] First, in step S141, digital property data is acquired for the product 5 requiring appraisal. This acquisition of digital property data is performed for the subject of appraisal and certification. As described above, this digital property data may be configured as digital property data obtained by imaging by a manufacturer, producer, author or the like via such a terminal 2, or may alternatively use data that is originally assigned to the product 5 requiring appraisal or associated therewith and recorded in a recording medium. This digital property data is any digital content that requires appraisal and certification, such as digital images, digital audio, digital music, and digital video, and is assigned file extensions such as jpg, png, gif, mp3, mov, etc. At this time, the above-mentioned incidental information and all product information related to the product 5 requiring appraisal may also be acquired together with this digital property data. In such a case, a file in csv format in which such digital property data, registration number, incidental information, product information, etc. are written may be acquired.

[0271] Next, the process proceeds to step S142, where such digital property data, incidental information, product information, etc. are recorded on the dedicated platform 8, so that the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 requiring appraisal are acquired. Then, a first hash is newly generated by further hashing based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 requiring appraisal.

[0272] Next, the process proceeds to step S143, and similarly to the analog property appraisal and certification described above, the information including the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded in the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product 5 requiring appraisal, and / or the information including the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded in the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 are read. Then, a second hash generated when the read information is recorded in the database 108 is obtained.

[0273] The guarantee card 24 includes, in addition to a physical guarantee card that is actually embodied as a card-shaped article, a logical guarantee card as digital information that is not embodied as an article.

[0274] Next, the process moves to step S144, where a new third hash is generated based on the obtained first and second hashes. This third hash may be generated by calculating the product or sum of the first and second hashes, or by any other well-known method. The generated third hash is recorded in the database 108.

[0275] The pre-processing steps S141 to S144 described above may be carried out in advance by the operating company, or by other relevant parties (manufacturers, authors, logistics companies, consumers, etc.) themselves. The process by which the product requiring appraisal 5 is distributed from the manufacturer, authors, logistics companies, and consumers is described below starting from step S145.

[0276] In step S145, the product requiring authentication 5, which was first generated by the manufacturer / producer / author, is transferred to the logistics company. In other words, in step S145, ownership of product requiring authentication 5 is transferred from the manufacturer / producer / author to the logistics company. At the same time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product requiring authentication 5 are also transferred. In addition, ownership of the identifiers α, β, and γ of product requiring authentication 5 is also transferred in the same manner.

[0277] Each time a transfer occurs, the identifier δ143 indicating the user of the owner at the transfer destination is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5. Before the transfer, the identifier δ143 indicating the user of the manufacturer, producer, and author was recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5. However, upon transfer, a new identifier δ143 indicating the user of the logistics company is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5. In such cases, various businesses may record this identifier δ143 indicating the user at the time of transfer in the database 108 of the dedicated platform 8 using an application [A] or the like.

[0278] In other words, in step S145, for example, using application [A]9 as a recording means, the first verification information (in this case, an identifier δ143 indicating the user) held by each of the multiple users involved with the product 5 to be examined can be linked to the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 to be examined and recorded in the order in which the multiple users are involved. Note that in step S145, for example, instead of application [A]9, terminals 2, 72 owned by the users or a dedicated platform 8 may be used as recording means.

[0279] Furthermore, in step S145, the logistics company receives the product requiring authentication 5 along with its identifiers α, β, and γ from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). The logistics company, having received the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring authentication 5, can use these identifiers to access the database 108 on the dedicated platform 8 and read the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 recorded therein.

[0280] The process moves to step S146, where product 5 requiring authentication is transferred from the logistics company to the consumer. At this time, the small recording media (a1) and small recording media (b) associated with product 5 requiring authentication may also be transferred. The owners of the identifiers α, β, and γ of product 5 requiring authentication may also be transferred.

[0281] Each time an item is transferred, the identifier δ143, which indicates the user of the new owner, is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the item requiring appraisal 5. Therefore, the identifier δ143, which indicates the user of the new owner, is recorded in association with the identifiers α, β, and γ of the item requiring appraisal 5.

[0282] Furthermore, in step S146, the consumer receives the product requiring authentication 5 along with its identifiers α, β, and γ from various vendors or a dedicated platform 8 (e.g., a marketplace). Upon receiving the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring authentication 5, the consumer can use these identifiers to access the database 108 on the dedicated platform 8 and retrieve the identifiers α, β, and γ recorded therein.

[0283] Such consumers can attempt to have their product requiring authentication 5 authenticated via the dedicated platform 8. Step S147 is described below as an example of the operation during authentication, and the user, such as a consumer, who attempts this authentication will be referred to as the authenticator.

[0284] In step S147, the appraiser first accesses the dedicated platform 8 and, consequently, the database 108, to perform the task of writing to the log. This task of writing to the log can be performed from the application's user interface, and the appraiser may enter personal information such as their name and date of birth, or any other information, following the guidance on the user interface. Even without guidance from the user interface, any information entered by the appraiser, or any string of characters that does not have meaning as information, may be considered as this task of writing to the log.

[0285] In such a case, the authenticator may, when assigning the user identifier δ143, access the log via the private key if a private key has been assigned to them. Of course, the authenticator may also generate the user identifier δ143 themselves and use it. At the stage of signing through the private key, the user identifier δ143 can be automatically retrieved from the database 108. Alternatively, the private key may be entered on the user interface, and the dedicated platform 8 may verify whether or not a user identifier δ143 has been assigned to that private key. If, as a result, a user identifier δ143 has been assigned to the private key, the dedicated platform 8 signs it. If this signature is made, the log writing is considered successful; otherwise, the log writing is considered a failure. This signature may be performed automatically by a program.

[0286] To write logs, the system may be configured to require a signature via a private key, for example. Once signed, the user identifier δ143 can be automatically retrieved from database 108. Therefore, by prompting the authenticator to write logs via the user interface, the user identifier δ143 can be obtained. For example, the public key can be identified through the private key, and the user identifier δ143 can be retrieved through this public key.

[0287] The dedicated platform 8 can determine whether it is the owner of the user identifier δ143. On the other hand, if writing the log fails, it can determine whether it is not the owner of the user identifier δ143. If it is determined that it is the owner of the user identifier δ143, it reads the user identifier δ143 (hereinafter referred to as the first signature information).

[0288] The first verification information of the identifier δ143 indicating the user read in step S147 is consistent with the first signature information held by the latest user associated with the product 5 to be appraised among the plurality of users. In this case, in step S147, only the latest user can perform appraisal certification as an appraisal certifier. This makes it possible to easily identify the user who currently owns or manages the product 5 to be appraised.

[0289] Note that the first verification information read in step S147 may be consistent with the first signature information held by a user who was involved before the latest user associated with the product 5 to be appraised (that is, a past user) among the plurality of users, for example. In this case, in step S147, the past user can perform appraisal certification as an appraisal certifier. This makes it possible to identify users who have been involved with the product 5 to be appraised.

[0290] Further, for example, step S147 may perform a process of granting authority to view at least part of the information related to the product 5 to be appraised (such as product information and transaction information used when recording in the database 108) to a user who has satisfied the authentication of the product 5 to be appraised.

[0291] In addition to this, in step S147, for example, the determination may be made in combination with appraisal certification to be described later.

[0292] In step S147, a fourth hash is generated based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product 5 to be appraised acquired from the appraisal certifier. The method for generating this fourth hash is the same as the above-described method for generating the first hash.

[0293] Further, in step S147, the information including the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded in the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product 5 to be appraised, and / or the information including the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded in the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 are read. Then, a fifth hash generated when the read information is recorded in the database 108 is obtained.

[0294] Next, a new sixth hash is generated based on the obtained fourth and fifth hashes. The method for generating this sixth hash is the same as the method for generating the third hash described above.

[0295] The consistency between the sixth hash and the third hash obtained in this way is then determined.

[0296] If product 5 requiring authentication is genuine, the fifth hash generated when recording the information read from the small recording medium (a1) 51a and small recording medium (b) 52a in the database 108 will be identical to the second hash. Also, if the authentication certifier possesses the genuine product, the fourth hash generated based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of product 5 receiving from the dedicated platform 8 (e.g., the marketplace) will be identical to the first hash.

[0297] Therefore, by checking whether the sixth hash generated based on the fourth and fifth hashes is identical to the third hash, it is possible to determine whether the product requiring authentication 5 is genuine or not. Specifically, after generating the sixth hash, a search may be performed to check whether an identical third hash is stored in the database 108. In this way, by performing the determination not only using the first and second hashes, but also using the third hash generated based on them, confidentiality can be further improved. In addition, when recording in the database 108, instead of recording both the first and second hashes, only one third hash reflecting them needs to be recorded, which improves the recording speed and speeds up processing.

[0298] Furthermore, in another aspect of the present invention, authentication of product 5 requiring authentication may be performed by determining both the consistency between transaction information and product information, and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. That is, if the consistency between transaction information and product information is confirmed and the third hash and the sixth hash are identical, the verification is completed. Through the completion of the verification, it may be determined that product 5 requiring authentication is genuine. On the other hand, if either or both of the transaction information and product information, or the third hash and the sixth hash are not identical, it can be determined that the person providing the authentication is not the owner of product 5 requiring authentication.

[0299] Thus, the present invention allows for authentication and certification based on two completely different methods: the consistency between transaction information and product information, and the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash. Therefore, even if an item is successfully identified as genuine by one of the authentication methods, if it is identified as counterfeit by the other authentication method, that item 5 requiring authentication will not be identified as genuine. In this way, for items among the items requiring authentication 5 that require stronger authentication, a higher level of authentication accuracy can be achieved.

[0300] Steps S143 to S147 described above are performed using applications [A]9 and [B]11, but may also be performed, for example, at least in part, using the dedicated platform 8.

[0301] In addition to the above, for example, the authentication method may perform authentication without generating the third and sixth hashes. In this case, the authentication uses the second to fourth verification information and the second to fourth signature information. Each piece of verification information and each piece of signature information may include, for example, information in hash format, as well as information obtained by encrypting or digitally signing (hereinafter described as encryption, etc.) the hash format information. Each piece of verification information and each piece of signature information may include, for example, at least one of a private key and a public key used for encryption, etc.

[0302] In this case, for example as shown in Figure 22, in step S143a, which is a modified version of step S143, second verification information based on information including at least one of the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5 is recorded in the database 108. The second verification information may indicate information including at least one of the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information, or it may indicate information on which encryption or other processing has been performed using the secret key α1 on information including at least one of the product information and transaction information. In addition to the above, the second verification information may indicate, for example, information in hash format obtained when recording at least one of the secret key α1, product information, and transaction information in the database 108, or information on which encryption or other processing has been performed on the hash.

[0303] Furthermore, in step S143a, for example, third verification information based on information including at least one of the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 is recorded in the database 108. The third verification information may indicate information including at least one of the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information, or it may indicate information obtained by encrypting or otherwise processing the information including at least one of the product information and transaction information using the secret key β1. In addition to the above, the third verification information may indicate, for example, information in hash format obtained when recording at least one of the secret key β1, product information, and transaction information in the database 108, or information obtained by encrypting or otherwise processing the hash.

[0304] Furthermore, in step S143a, the fourth verification information generated based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5 is recorded in the database 108. The fourth verification information may indicate the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5, or it may indicate information obtained by encrypting, for example, the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product requiring appraisal 5.

[0305] Step S143a can be performed using application [A]9, or, for example, at least some of the processing can be performed using the dedicated platform 8.

[0306] Subsequently, without performing step S144 described above, in step S147a, which is a variation of step S147, second signature information may be obtained based on information including at least one of the private key α1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (a1) 51a of the product to be authenticated 5 obtained from the authenticator. The second signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate hash-format information generated when reading at least one of the product information and transaction information and recording the read information in the database 108. The second signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0307] Furthermore, in step S147a, for example, third signature information may be obtained based on information including at least one of the private key β1, product information, and transaction information recorded on the small recording medium (b) 52a of the guarantee card 24 obtained from the authenticator. The third signature information may indicate information including at least one of the product information and transaction information, or it may indicate hash-format information generated when, for example, at least one of the product information and transaction information is read and the read information is recorded in the database 108. The third signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fifth hash described above.

[0308] Furthermore, in step S147a, fourth signature information is obtained based on the identifiers α, β, and γ of the product to be authenticated 5, which were obtained from the authenticator. Note that the fourth signature information may also be obtained by performing a generation method similar to that of the fourth hash described above.

[0309] Subsequently, in step S147a, the consistency between the second verification information and the second signature information, the consistency between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the consistency between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information may be determined. The consistency between each piece of verification information and the signature information may be determined by, for example, information of the same format (e.g., information in hash format), or by one piece of information in hash format and the other piece of information that has undergone encryption or other processing. In either case, the determination can be made using known techniques. Furthermore, as a method for determining the consistency between each piece of signature information and each piece of verification information, for example, after obtaining each piece of signature information, the determination of whether or not it is identical may be made based on the result of searching whether or not identical verification information is stored in the database 108.

[0310] In this case, for example, if at least one of the comparison results between the first verification information and the first signature information, the comparison result between the third verification information and the third signature information, and the comparison result between the fourth verification information and the fourth signature information is consistent, then the authentication of product 5 requiring authentication may be satisfied (i.e., genuine). This makes it possible to authenticate product 5 requiring authentication using other information even if some of the information used for authentication is defective, thereby expanding the possibilities of its application.

[0311] Step S147a can be performed using application [B]11, or, for example, at least some of the processing can be performed using the dedicated platform 8.

[0312] In the authentication and certification system of other embodiments of the present invention that do not use blockchain as described above, product information relating to the product requiring authentication 5 and transaction information at each stage of distribution until the product requiring authentication 5 reaches the consumer are linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 and recorded on a dedicated platform 8 in the order in which multiple users involved with the product requiring authentication 5 are involved. At the time of authentication and certification, the product information and transaction information linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 are read from the dedicated platform 8, and the authentication and certification of the product requiring authentication 5 is performed based on the product information and transaction information. This makes it possible to perform highly reliable authentication and certification even when performing authentication and certification for digital goods.

[0313] In yet another embodiment, the recording means may record verification information held by each of the multiple users involved with the product requiring authentication 5, linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5, in the order in which the multiple users are involved. At the time of authentication, the verification information linked to the identifiers β and γ of the product requiring authentication 5 may be read from the dedicated platform 8, and the authentication of the product requiring authentication 5 may be performed using the verification information and the signature information held by the authenticator. In this case as well, it is possible to perform highly reliable authentication when performing authentication on digital goods. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0314] 1. Authentication and Certification System 2, 72 terminals 3. Distributed file server 5 Products requiring appraisal 8 Dedicated platform 8a Blockchain 8b Blockchain data 10 Public telecommunications network 24 Guarantee Card 25 Leaders 43 Blockchain Wallets

Claims

1. An identifier generation means that generates a hashed first identifier to be individually assigned to the digital asset data subject to appraisal and certification, A platform that records identifier-related information linked to the first identifier for referencing the object of authentication on a blockchain, and outputs a second identifier which is a transaction hash for referencing the record, or a two-dimensional code corresponding to the second identifier, A recording means for recording first verification information, which is the blockchain wallet address held by each of the multiple users involved in the subject of authentication, in association with the identifier-related information, in the order in which the multiple users are involved in the subject of authentication; One or more control units, Equipped with, The provenance information relating to the subject of the appraisal and certification includes at least one of the product information relating to the subject of the appraisal and certification and the transaction information relating to the distribution stage of the subject of the appraisal and certification. Each of the aforementioned users possesses a user private key corresponding to the blockchain wallet address, and the target private key is attached to the authenticated object or recorded on a readable recording medium associated with the authenticated object. The one or more control units are: During recording, At least a portion of the aforementioned provenance information is obtained, which is the provenance information at the time of recording that is subject to verification. A first hash is generated based on the second identifier. A second hash is generated based on the aforementioned target secret key and the aforementioned record-time target provenance information. A third hash is generated based on the first hash and the second hash. Without recording the first hash and the second hash on the blockchain, the third hash is recorded on the blockchain in association with the identifier-related information. When providing an appraisal certificate, The signature data generated using the user's private key held by the appraiser is verified, and the blockchain wallet address of the appraiser is obtained as the first signature information through the verification of the signature data. From the first verification information associated with the identifier-related information corresponding to the second identifier or the two-dimensional code obtained from the appraisal certifier, read the first verification information corresponding to the latest user in the sequence, and determine the consistency between the read first verification information and the first signature information. A fourth hash is generated based on the second identifier obtained from the appraisal certifier or the second identifier identified from the two-dimensional code. The provenance information at the time of appraisal and certification, corresponding to the provenance information at the time of recording, is obtained. A fifth hash is generated based on the aforementioned target private key and the aforementioned provenance information at the time of authentication. A sixth hash is generated based on the fourth and fifth hashes. The consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash is determined by searching whether the third hash, which is identical to the sixth hash, is recorded on the blockchain. The authentication certificate result for the object to be authenticated is generated, with the conditions for generating the authentication certificate result being that the read-out first verification information and the first signature information are consistent, and that the third hash and the sixth hash are consistent. Authentication and certification system.

2. The identifier generation means includes a distributed file server, The aforementioned distributed file server is The digital asset data, the registration number uniquely issued for each registration of the digital asset data, and the information of the entity related to the subject of the appraisal and certification are linked together and supplementary information is registered. A unique ID is issued for each of the aforementioned digital asset data, the registration number, and the information of the subject, Based on each of the aforementioned IDs, the first identifier is generated, Even if the aforementioned digital asset data is identical to or a copy of other digital asset data, if the registration numbers are different, a different first identifier is generated for each of them. The appraisal and certification system according to claim 1.

3. The one or more control units are Before generating the signature data, a one-time use token is sent to the certifying agent. The appraiser obtains the signature data generated by signing a message containing the token using the user's private key, the token, and the appraiser's blockchain wallet address. Based on the results of verifying the aforementioned token and the aforementioned signature data, the blockchain wallet address of the appraiser is obtained as the first signature information. The appraisal and certification system according to claim 1.

4. The readable recording medium is attached to or incorporated into the object to be authenticated and records at least a portion of the object's private key and the provenance information. When generating the second hash and the fifth hash, the one or more control units read at least a portion of the target secret key and the provenance information from the readable recording medium. The appraisal and certification system according to claim 1.

5. A program for causing one or more computers to function as the identifier generation means, the platform, the recording means, and the one or more control units of the authentication certification system described in Claim 1.

6. An appraisal and certification method performed by an appraisal and certification system having one or more control units, The one or more control units, A step of generating a hashed first identifier that is individually assigned to the item to be appraised and certified, based on the digital asset data to be appraised and certified, The process includes recording identifier-related information linked to the first identifier and used to refer to the object of authentication on the blockchain, and outputting a second identifier which is a transaction hash for referencing the record, or a two-dimensional code corresponding to the second identifier. A step of recording first verification information, which is the blockchain wallet address held by each of the multiple users involved in the subject of authentication, in association with the identifier-related information, in the order in which the multiple users are involved in the subject of authentication; A step of obtaining the record-time provenance information to be verified, which is at least a part of the provenance information that includes product information relating to the subject of the appraisal and certification and transaction information relating to the distribution stage of the subject of the appraisal and certification, During recording, a step of generating a first hash based on the second identifier, A step of generating a second hash based on the target secret key and the target provenance information at the time of recording, which are recorded on a readable recording medium assigned to or associated with the object to be authenticated. A step of generating a third hash based on the first hash and the second hash, A step of recording the third hash on the blockchain in association with the identifier-related information, without recording the first hash and the second hash on the blockchain, respectively. The process includes verifying the signature data generated using the user's private key, which is held by the appraiser and corresponds to the blockchain wallet address, and obtaining the appraiser's blockchain wallet address as the first signature information through the verification of the signature data, A step of reading the first verification information corresponding to the latest user in the sequence among the first verification information associated with the identifier-related information corresponding to the second identifier or the two-dimensional code obtained from the appraisal certifier, and determining the consistency between the read first verification information and the first signature information, A step of generating a fourth hash based on the second identifier obtained from the appraisal certifier or the second identifier identified from the two-dimensional code, A step of obtaining the provenance information at the time of appraisal and certification that corresponds to the provenance information at the time of recording, A step of generating a fifth hash based on the aforementioned target private key and the aforementioned provenance information at the time of authentication, A step of generating a sixth hash based on the fourth hash and the fifth hash, A step of determining the consistency between the third hash and the sixth hash by searching whether the third hash, which is identical to the sixth hash, is recorded on the blockchain, A step of generating an appraisal certificate result for the object to be appraised, with the conditions for generating the appraisal certificate result being that the read-out first verification information and the first signature information are consistent, and that the third hash and the sixth hash are consistent. Methods of authentication and certification, including those mentioned above.

7. In the step of generating the first identifier, a distributed file server, The digital asset data, the registration number uniquely issued for each registration of the digital asset data, and the information of the entity related to the subject of the appraisal and certification are linked together and supplementary information is registered. A unique ID is issued for each of the aforementioned digital asset data, the registration number, and the information of the subject, Based on each of the aforementioned IDs, the first identifier is generated, Even if the aforementioned digital asset data is identical to or a copy of other digital asset data, if the registration numbers are different, a different first identifier is generated for each of them. The method of certification of expert opinion as described in claim 6.

8. In the step of obtaining the first signature information, Before generating the signature data, a one-time use token is sent to the certifying agent. The appraiser obtains the signature data generated by signing a message containing the token using the user's private key, the token, and the appraiser's blockchain wallet address. Based on the results of verifying the aforementioned token and the aforementioned signature data, the blockchain wallet address of the appraiser is obtained as the first signature information. The method of certification of expert opinion as described in claim 6.

Images