Rights-enabled tokens for blockchain content attribution

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge lies in effectively managing and protecting digital content ownership and rights online, as existing systems struggle to track, control, and remunerate content creators for their work, especially in social networks and online platforms where content can be easily shared and appropriated without proper attribution or compensation.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of blockchain technology for managing digital content rights through the use of rights-enabled tokens, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which include information identifying the content and associated rights, along with blockchain-based attribution, authentication, and smart contract execution for regulating usage and payments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If blockchain technology is implemented for managing digital content rights, then security and transparency of rights tracking are improved, but system complexity and implementation difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity of rights trackingVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces rights-enabled tokens as intermediary objects that mediate between digital content and ownership rights. These tokens encapsulate rights information and enable secure tracking without requiring direct complex blockchain implementations for every content item. The tokens act as standardized intermediaries that simplify the overall system architecture while maintaining security benefits.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the state parameters of digital content by associating them with rights-enabled tokens that have specific attributes (ownership, licensing, provenance). This parameter-based approach allows rights management to be handled through token attributes rather than complex contractual relationships, reducing system complexity while improving reliability through standardized parameter tracking.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If rights-enabled tokens are used to track digital content ownership, then attribution and authentication are improved, but transaction processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattribution accuracyVSAvoidtransaction processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-generating rights-enabled tokens with all necessary attribution and authentication data embedded before content transactions occur. This allows verification to be performed quickly by simply checking token attributes rather than conducting complex authentication processes during each transaction, thereby improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing processing time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts authentication and attribution logic from the main transaction processing flow by encapsulating it within rights-enabled tokens. This separation allows the core transaction to proceed quickly while authentication verification can be performed independently by validating token signatures and attributes, reducing the time impact on primary transactions while maintaining high attribution accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Extent of automation

If smart contracts are deployed for regulating usage and payments, then automation and enforcement of rights are improved, but device complexity and gas costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomation of rights enforcementVSAvoidsmart contract complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments rights enforcement into modular smart contract functions that operate on individual rights-enabled tokens rather than requiring complex global state management. Each token can have its own usage rules encoded in simple, standardized contract functions, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high automation. This segmentation allows rights enforcement to be handled through reusable, simple contract templates rather than custom complex contracts for each content item.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

4Reliability

If blockchain ledgers are used to record content transactions, then tamper-proof tracking and provenance integrity are improved, but storage requirements and transaction costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprovenance integrityVSAvoiddata storage volume
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses copying by storing only essential provenance information (token identifiers, ownership changes) in the blockchain ledger rather than duplicating entire content files or detailed transaction histories. The rights-enabled tokens serve as lightweight copies that reference original content without storing it, maintaining tamper-proof tracking while minimizing storage requirements and transaction costs associated with recording large amounts of data on-chain.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS20220337439A1Rights-enabled tokens for blockchain applications
Publication Date: 2022.10.20 METADYN
  • US20220337439A1 patent drawing
  • US20220337439A1 patent drawing
  • US20220337439A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems and methods for managing media, such as digital content, using blockchain technology are described. For example, the systems and methods provide rights-enabled tokens, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which include information identifying content represented by the tokens as well as information or data that identifies the rights assigned or associated with the content represented by the tokens.