Digital Certificate System for NFT Physical Artifact Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of a centralized registry to capture and verify the use of physical artifacts in NFT projects, leading to difficulties in tracking and authenticating their connections across different projects, with no consensus on how this data should be captured.
Innovation Solution
A model that utilizes blockchain technology and cryptographic methods to create a digital certificate of authenticity (COA) for NFTs, linking physical artifacts to their digital counterparts, allowing for secure recording and verification of creatorship, ownership, and other actions through a continuum of confidence levels based on authentication endorsements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional ad hoc certification documents are used to verify artifact provenance, then verification can be performed with simple documentation, but the system becomes vulnerable to loss, forgery, and requires considerable management effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a digital copy of the certification document as a blockchain record. This digital copy is immutable and cannot be lost or forged, while the physical artifact remains unchanged. The digital certificate serves as a verifiable replica that maintains reliability without requiring complex physical security measures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/document-based verification system with a cryptographic blockchain system. Traditional physical documents and manual verification processes are substituted with cryptographic hashes, digital signatures, and distributed ledger technology, eliminating the vulnerabilities of physical document management.
2Reliability
If blockchain technology is implemented to create immutable records, then verification reliability improves, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential verification information from the complex artifact management system and records it on the blockchain. Rather than putting all artifact data on-chain, the system extracts key provenance facts, certification details, and ownership records, creating a simplified immutable ledger that maintains reliability without overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a verification service as an intermediary between the artifact owner and the blockchain. This service handles the complex tasks of creating digital certificates, generating cryptographic hashes, and managing blockchain interactions, thereby reducing the operational complexity for users while maintaining system reliability.
3Measurement precision
If multiple authentication endorsements are required to establish high confidence authenticity, then the confidence level improves, but the time required for verification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs authentication endorsements and blockchain record creation in advance, before the artifact needs verification. Certificates are issued and recorded on the blockchain upfront, so that when verification is needed later, the information is already available and can be retrieved instantly without requiring time-consuming real-time authentication processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures that authentication records are continuously maintained and updated on the blockchain as artifacts move through ownership changes. This continuous recording means that verification can access the complete provenance history immediately, eliminating gaps in information and reducing verification time while maintaining high confidence levels.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for linking a physical artifact to a non-fungible token (NFT) with a digital certificate and/or a digital certificate of authenticity (COA) are disclosed herein. The method and system use multiple attestations along with digital ledger technology to provide a digital certificate of authenticity for an object such as a work of art, collectible, or a non-fungible token (NFT) when the NFT is minted. An extended physical backed token (EPBT) is also generated for the physical artifact.