DeCoCo: Blockchain-based Decentralized Compensation of Digital Content Purchases

Abstract

Current centralized e-commerce platforms have lock-in effects. These platform-binding effects are constructed towards the content creator and the consumer in the process of purchasing digital content. The lock-in effects originate from the situation in which a centralized platform offers a variety of value propositions towards content creators and consumers. In this article, we propose an approach to decentralize the value propositions and distribute them among different actors. Therefore, we develop a decentralized application based on smart contracts and the blockchain technology. With that application as a base, we offer an alternative to the current centralized marketplaces without lock-in effects.