Japanese Advertising Giant Promotes Content Creators Using Blockchain

One of the largest advertising companies in Japan is making it easier to recognize content creators on popular apps as a market force, even if they use copyrighted material in their work.

According to an article from the Nikkei newspaper on April 20, Dentsu has partnered with Kadokawa Ascii research laboratories and others to begin Proof of Concept (POC) for rewards to independent content creators using blockchain technology. The targets for the POC are those commenting on ten popular Japanese comics — manga — with livestream apps. 

Copyright issues among content creators

Creators on YouTube and other popular streaming apps have had issues with videos being demonetized or removed after the use — however short — of original artists’ work. When it comes to manga commentary videos, some violate existing copyright laws in Japan. 

Dentsu and Kadokawa aim to make it easier for people using livestream with possibly copyrighted material by using blockchain. Targeting secondary creators who comment on manga using livestream apps, and tertiary creators who may translate the commentary in foreign languages, the partnership is designed to explain the range of allowed materials on these platforms.

Jyunichi Suzuki, a Dentsu representative said: "We want to integrate fans' work that had previously not been valued as a legitimate market.”

The Japanese government has also expressed an interest in managing creator content with blockchain technology. The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry started a program in fiscal year 2019 to provide companies with similar initiatives up to 50 million yen, roughly $460,000. 

Hisashi Oki and Yoshihisa Takahashi at Cointelegraph Japan contributed to this article