Ant Group has announced the launch of a digital copyright services platform aimed at helping content creators verify and protect their intellectual property more efficiently and at a lower cost. The platform, which has already partnered with leading names in the Chinese music industry during its trial period, currently accounts for the daily copyright certification of over 10 million original pieces of work. Ant is the parent of Alipay and is also currently going through an IPO for which it received a greenlight from regulators yesterday.
The copyright solution enables creators to verify the authenticity of their work by comparing the uploaded content with existing information in the database. If original, the mechanism will generate a unique digital copyright certification with basic data on the work and a notary stamp. It also assists creators in monitoring and flagging potential copyright violations, and the certifications can be used as evidence in copyright infringement. The system is powered by AntChain, Ant Group’s blockchain, as well as AI technology.
Ant Group expects the new service to shorten the copyright registration and certification process to one minute and for users to save up to 95% in related expenditures.
China’s leading digital music distribution network, Shanghai C.C. Music Culture, was one of the project’s partners during the trial period. Apart from the services provided by Ant Group’s digital copyright services platform, AntChain will also generate smart contracts that record the revenues generated by musicians and distributors in Shanghai C.C.’s network. “Once their work is successfully sold, the smart contract is triggered, and revenues will be automatically distributed to the musicians and Shanghai C.C. Music Culture”.
Ant Group is the parent company of China’s largest digital payment platform, Alipay. According to IPR Daily and parent database IncoPat, it holds alongside Alibaba a total of 1505 blockchain patent applications, twice the next highest number of applications. In the twelve months ending in June this year, Ant claims that AntChain generated over 100 million daily active items such as patents and vouchers.
Other companies and initiatives around the world are making use of blockchain to manage and verify copyright information. Last month, top-five global ad agency Dentsu became the eleventh member of Japan’s Content Blockchain Initiative. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection is researching a blockchain platform aimed at protecting American businesses from intellectual property theft, and China’s Internet Courts are using blockchain to protect writers who publish their content online.
