Official United States copyright archive data shows that Wei Liu, a Chinese citizen residing in California, claimed copyright to bitcoin’s (BTC) white paper on May 24. In the filing, Liu claims to have published the bitcoin white paper on Jan. 11, 2008, under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto, with the title “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.” Earlier this month, self-proclaimed Satoshi Craig Wright also filed United States copyright registrations for the same paper and most of the original code used to build bitcoin. Cointelegraph has not been able to determine who Wei Liu is or the reasoning behind the …

A blockchain-powered platform that allows content creators to reach its fans directly says it is broadening the choice of music, illustrations and webtoons it has on offer — improving both quality and quantity ahead of its launch. The debut of ContentsDeal has suffered from delays, but the company says its team is determined to get its offering online as soon as possible. Already, the platform says it has attracted an impressive ensemble of artists from South Korea and around the world — giving creatives a way of broadcasting their content to the masses while ensuring their copyright is protected. ContentsDeal …

Dubai-based crypto firm ABBC Foundation has agreed to stop using the name “Alibaba” for its cryptocurrency after legal action by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, Reuters reported on March 11. The decision from ABBC Foundation is reportedly part of a settlement of an almost year-long lawsuit brought by Alibaba against the crypto startup. ABBC Foundation, previously also known as Alibabacoin Foundation, reportedly said that it regretted confusion caused by its former use of the name “Alibabacoin” for its firm and cryptocurrency. Per the report, the company's coin will now be called ABBC coin. As Cointelegraph reported in April last year, …

KodakONE — the developer of a blockchain-based image rights platform licensed by photographic industry giant Kodak — has reportedly generated over $1 million in licensing claims for image rights during a limited beta test of its platform. The news was reported by blockchain news source Breaker Mag on Jan. 8. As Cointelegraph previously reported, the KodakONE Image Rights Management Platform is an image copyright protection, monetization and distribution platform secured via blockchain. While the project is not run by the Eastman Kodak company itself, the industry stalwart has made RYDE Holding (formerly Wenn Digital) an official brand licensee. When Kodak …

NEM Foundation in Argentina has signed a memorandum of understanding with a local trade union of journalists. The goal of the agreement is to develop a blockchain-powered solution for copyright protection, Cointelegraph in Spanish reported Saturday, Jan. 5. The memorandum signed with CISPREN — the journalists’ trade union of the city of Cordoba in central Argentina — also implies the development of a Proof-of-Concept for the project. CISPREN hopes that blockchain can solve different issues associated with the protection of intellectual property rights, such as content theft, failure to pay royalties and others. CISPREN’s press-secretary German Guismondi told Cointelegraph that …

A media copyright protection alliance has been established in Beijing to provide copyright protection services using blockchain technology, according to the Chinese state-owned International Finance News on Dec. 19. The newly established alliance — the "China Financial Media Copyright Protection Alliance" — involves more than 30 major financial media outlets such as International Finance News, Economic Information Daily, China Business News, Beijing Business Daily, and the Daily Economic News, among others. The alliance aims to provide “reasonable authorization systems, improving authorized transaction mechanisms, strengthening industry copyright self-discipline, and developing copyright cooperation in the industry.” Qi Huisheng, secretary of the former …

An Internet Court in Hangzhou, Eastern China, has turned to blockchain to fight piracy at the expense of online writers, English-language media outlet China.org.cn reports Dec. 8. China has reportedly “set up three Internet courts in Hangzhou, Beijing and Guangzhou.” Internet Courts are courts expressly intended to manage internet-related cases and allow plaintiffs to file their complaints online. The official website of Hangzhou Internet Court reads that it “behave[s] as an ‘incubator’ for Internet space governance, a ‘test field’ for Internet judicial rules, a ‘leader’ for diversified Internet disputes, and a ‘first mover’ for the transformation of Internet trials.” Hangzhou, …

A Russian court dedicated to intellectual property cases has successfully tested a blockchain network for storing copyright data. The technology was reportedly used for the first time in the judicial area in Russia, major Russian news agency TASS writes Monday, Dec. 3. According to TASS, the court recorded a change in a group of right holders, using a blockchain solution provided by Russian intellectual property startup IPChain. IPChain’s president Andrey Krichevsky claims this is a precedent for the Russian judicial system, calling the use of the tech “a definite breakthrough.” Krichevsky believes that blockchain could help increase interoperability in the …

A Russian intellectual property startup has signed a memorandum with officials from Uzbek capital Tashkent to integrate blockchain for use in copyright, Russian state news agency TASS reports Tuesday, Oct. 16. The president of the Russian National Intellectual Property Transactions Coordination Center (IPChain), Andrey Krichevsky, met the head of Tashkent's department of innovations Jasur Zakhidov during the Open Innovations Forum in Moscow. Both parties agreed to implement decentralized solutions to protect copyrights in different areas, such as intellectual property and patent records. Zakhidov further explained that blockchain could help develop the whole copyright sphere and make it profitable, noting that …

Are there any exceptions to copyright rules? This varies from country to country. For example, in the UK, the principle of “fair dealing” means small excerpts of a copyrighted work can be used for the purposes of studying, news reporting and teaching. The European Copyright Directive goes further, as it enables you to satirize copyrighted works and use brief clips of TV shows or songs for parodies. Meanwhile, halfway across the world in New Zealand, there is no exemption for comedy and satire – something which has frustrated comedians and content creators. MyCryptons, a blockchain-based platform where users can buy …

The Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) and the Madrid School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSIT-UPM) announced July 26 a research partnership into implementing blockchain for copyright management in the digital era. The two institutions have reportedly signed a one-year agreement to carry out collaborative research into building a digital processing platform for copyright management that would use blockchain alongside BigData, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). SGAE president José Miguel Fernández Sastrón outlined the partnership: "The main lines of research will focus on disruptive technologies that address the challenges posed by the volume, diversity and dynamics of change in …

A new report by the Berklee College of Music and the Institute of Creative Entrepreneurship Rethink Music estimates that around 20 to 50 percent of money generated by streaming is never returned to the artists. The initiative proposed the blockchain as a solution to tally the transactions and provide greater transparency. Royalties The report analyzed the costs that are distributed between parties that contribute in the distribution of music. “Of the $15 billion in global recorded music revenue for sound recordings reported by the IFPI for 2014, only a small portion of the money beyond the initial recording advances ultimately …