Blockchain Papers

Serhat Burmaoğlu, Esra DÜNDAR ARAVACIK, Arif Söyler

No abstract is available for this record.

Enrico Bonadio, Dyuti Pandya

The appeal of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) is predominantly linked to the surge in cryptocurrency markets. While much of the academic discourse around NFTs and intellectual property rights has revolved around copyrights, there is a notable shift towards also examining industrial property rights such as trademarks and patents which has l received a lesser focus. NFTs are unique digital identifiers secured on blockchain technology, which facilitates ownership verification and transfer. The decentralised security, transferability and governance inherent in NFTs can make NFTs attractive to trademark and patent holders. However, this decentralisation also introduces challenges, particularly concerning rights infringement. It produces complexity in the enforcement of trademark rights as the unauthorised minting of NFTs can occur without the consent of brand owners, which can lead to confusion about the source of goods. This chapter gives a brief overview of many landmark cases, such as Hermès International v. Rothschild and Nike Inc. v. StockX LLC ; Yuga Labs. v. Ryder Ripp ; and the Juventus case, all of which have illustrated the legal complexities surrounding the NFT-related trademark disputes. The key consideration is the need for existing trademark frameworks for adapting the characteristics of NFTs for managing infringements. The chapter then analyses how NFTs present opportunities for monetising patent assets. While they can promote transparency and liquidity, tokenising patents also complicates and raises concerns of privacy and how they will be recorded at IP offices. The chapter also focuses on NFTs issues associated with patentability subject matter, novelty, non-obviousness, inventorship and ownership.

Phi Dinh Hoang, Emmanuel L. C. VI M. Plan, Nga T. H. Nguyen

NFT market is nascent and thus prone to manipulative behavior. This paper examines the impact of wash trading on the relationships between NFT returns, volume, and volatility via Mixture of Distributions Hypothesis (MDH) and Sequential Information Arrival Hypothesis (SIAH), and the role of collection characteristics in these dynamics via Hedonic Pricing Theory (HPT). By comparing the full dataset and those devoid of cyclical wash trades, we find that MDH and SIAH hold across samples. Notably, the return-volatility relationship shifts from significantly negative to significantly positive post-cleaning, confirming that manipulative trades distort true market risk-return dynamics. In contrast, support for HPT weakens after applying stricter wash trade detection, suggesting collection features had overstated influence due to manipulation. These findings highlight the need for robust wash trading detection to ensure data reliability. Policymakers should consider ensuring market data reliability by enhancing transparency regulations around suspected wash trade transactions.

Ikechukwu Chime

Technology has priority in today&s;s global discussions, especially in discussions that address developmental deficits in Nigeria. The country sees emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), among others, as veritable tools that can be used for economic and social development. This approach presents both opportunities and challenges. Nigeria&s;s teeming young population is quite receptive to technological innovation and constitutes potential for innovative solutions to the country&s;s developmental challenges. However, the inadequate intellectual property (IP) framework that should have been used to attract investments and stimulate innovation stands as a challenge to the country&s;s technological potential. This concern raises an all-important question of whether or not the existing laws and enforcement apparatus are equipped to tackle the complications that have been introduced by these new technologies. This chapter analyses IP frameworks in Nigeria and their adequacies for protecting technology and innovations. While adopting the doctrinal research methodology, the research reveals that Nigeria has advanced and developed in technology such as app creation and fintech, which are now considered beacons of economic growth. However, the lack of awareness of the importance of IP is a major limiting factor. This research concludes and recommends that Nigeria&s;s stakeholders, among other things, provide a better system for the enlightenment of the protection and recognition that has already been provided by intellectual property rights (IPR) in technology.

Krishna Sai Penumarthi

The rising cost of drug development and the monopolization of pharmaceutical intellectual property have contributed to opaque pricing and limited access to life-saving therapeutics. This paper introduces VitaDAO, a novel decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) designed to address critical inefficiencies in early-stage biopharmaceutical research and drug pricing. By leveraging blockchain technology, token-based governance, and IP tokenization through NFTs, VitaDAO democratizes the funding and ownership of longevity-focused therapeutics. The model aligns incentives across patients, researchers, and investors, fostering open science and equitable commercialization pathways. It proposes a new framework for holding, funding, and managing pharmaceutical IP and research data that seeks to reduce drug prices, enhance transparency, and accelerate access to innovative therapies. This work sits at the intersection of health economics, pharmaceutical RD, and decentralized governance, offering a disruptive alternative to traditional pharma business models.

Pranav Darshan, Jan Rohan, Rajesh, Raghuveer, Muthyapwar Ruchitha · 6 authors

Non Fungible Tokens have changed digital ownership and how creators earn money. Between 2021 and 2024, the market value exceeded 40 billion. However, the fast growth of the NFT ecosystem has revealed serious issues in managing intellectual property rights. There is a lot of confusion about the difference between owning an NFT and owning the copyright for the underlying content. This research looks at the gap between traditional copyright laws and blockchain-based transactions. We use a mixed methods approach to analyze this disconnect. We create a new IP rights matrix that clearly shows how copyright law relates to NFT ownership structures. Additionally, we include a business model taxonomy that sorts new commercial applications by their IP risk and sustainability factors. By examining important legal cases, smart contracts, and interviews with stakeholders, we find key problems in enforcing laws across different regions, standardizing licenses, and assessing business opportunities.

Mr.P. Rajapandiyan

Abstract: Intellect Chain: Decentralized IP Trading and Licensing via Blockchain and Tokenization. is a Web3 platform designed to revolutionize the intellectual property (IP) ecosystem. By utilizing blockchain technology, the platform enables the secure tokenization, licensing, and trading of IP assets such as books, films, music, and digital media. It creates an inclusive environment where creators can directly control, validate, and monetize their IP without relying on intermediaries, empowering them to retain ownership and earn royalties in a transparent and secure manner. Developed using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js), Genesis Protocol ensures high performance and scalability for seamless user interaction. Ethereum-based smart contracts manage the licensing process, ownership verification, and royalty distribution, while IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) is used for decentralized hosting, guaranteeing tamper-proof and secure access to digital content. NFTs play a critical role in validating and minting IP assets, offering both identity tokens and access rights, and enabling creators to directly interact with consumers and other stakeholders in the ecosystem. Intellect Chain: Decentralized IP Trading and Licensing via Blockchain and Tokenization aims to empower creators, reduce dependency on traditional intermediaries, and enable the transparent, secure, and efficient exchange of IP assets. By creating a decentralized marketplace for IP, the platform fosters innovation, ensures fair compensation for creators, and redefines the way intellectual property is managed, licensed, and traded globally. Keywords: Decentralized IP Trading, Web3, NFT Licensing, Creator Economy, Blockchain Tokenization, Smart Contracts, IPFS Hosting, MERN Stack, Intellectual Property.

Usharani Hareesh Govindarajan, Dhiraj Kumar Singh, Weibing Zhong, Hong‐Zheng Sun‐Lin

The advent of the metaverse has sparked global interest, particularly in their potential to revolutionize various sectors, including education. This study examines the readiness of educational institutions for the transition from Web2 to Web3, focusing on the decentralized nature of the latter. It highlights the importance of analyzing both patents and academic papers to grasp the nuances of technological advancements and their implications for education. Employing a machine learning technique known as class-based TF-IDF (c-TF-IDF), the research analyzes 3317 patent grants and 4694 academic papers from 2015 to 2023. The findings reveal key technology specifications relevant to education in the Web3 era. The study adopts a four-layered approach to discuss these specifications, encompassing adaptive learning, innovative teaching methods, comprehensive evaluation, and a blend of scientific management with personalized service. The insights gained are synthesized into a proposed framework for Web3-enabled education, setting the stage for further exploration and discussion in this burgeoning field. This condensed overview serves to inform stakeholders in the education sector about the current landscape and future directions of Web3 technologies and their educational applications.

Sarthak Gangurde, Ashwini Jadhav, Vijay Gatkal, Mansi More

The rapid advancements in genomics have raised concerns about the privacy of sensitive genetic data. This paper presents Zk-Gene, a Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) framework designed for the secure verification of genetic markers. Zk-Gene ensures that genetic data can be verified without exposing sensitive information, maintaining user privacy while allowing for critical health assessments. We describe the architecture of Zk-Gene, the cryptographic techniques employed, the construction of ZKP circuits for genetic markers, and demonstrate its applicability to genetic testing scenarios. This framework provides an innovative method for safeguarding genetic privacy while enabling essential genetic verifications.

Alice Lawrence

Atomic swaps represent a groundbreaking advancement in decentralized asset exchange, enabling peer-to-peer trading of cryptocurrencies across different blockchains without the need for intermediaries. By utilizing smart contract technology, these swaps allow users to securely trade assets in a trustless environment, removing the need for centralized exchanges. This paper explores the technical underpinnings of atomic swaps, the benefits they offer over traditional exchange models, and their potential to shape the future of cross-chain transactions. We examine the core mechanisms of hash time-locked contracts (HTLCs), the role of liquidity pools, and the scalability challenges inherent in atomic swap technology. Furthermore, the paper discusses the broader implications of atomic swaps for decentralized finance (DeFi), financial sovereignty, and the global cryptocurrency ecosystem. As the market for decentralized exchanges continues to expand, atomic swaps may emerge as a vital tool for enhancing the efficiency, security, and inclusivity of digital asset trading.

Amith Sriram K. S., R Valarmathi

Abstract Non‐fungible tokens have caused a complete revolution in the digital space regarding how one thinks of unique assets such as pieces of art, music, and digital collectables, and how one trades them. Originating from blockchain technology, NFTs first came into existence in the year 2014 on a platform known as “Counterparty.” Since then, they have grown as an influential part of the digital economy. NFT is nonfungible, each token is unique and cannot be replaced‐which results in unprecedented possibilities and issues in the digital world. However, with the increasing demand for NFTs, several legal issues have emerged particularly in India, where the laws are still underdeveloped. As NFTs are representations of copyrighted works primary issues arising from NFTs are also related to Copyright. Ambiguities with NFTs are misapprehension over ownership, the challenge of managing and licensing NFTs using smart contracts, and the risk of unauthorized minting of copyrighted materials. This paper addresses these critical issues evaluates the current legal status of NFTs in India and explores their intersection with copyright laws. The focus is particularly on buyers' rights, including ownership complexities, the management of rights through licensing and assignments, and the issues around copyright infringement. The research highlights the urgent need for a legal framework for NFTs, delves into the intricacies of NFT ownership, transfers, and licensing, examines the challenges of unauthorized minting and the enforcement of buyers' rights and offers possible solutions.

Shirin Sadat Foroughi Moghadam, R Soltani, Ahmad Mohammadi

The present research aims to propose a novel, practical, and scientifically grounded approach based on blockchain technology to support and protect ideas and intellectual assets in the domain of intellectual property rights—specifically, by defining non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to achieve this objective toward maximizing individual rights protection and attaining good governance; additionally, examining the relationship between states as agents for achieving good governance and emerging technologies as tools for this process constitutes the core research problem. The study is premised on the hypothesis that since new knowledge-based technologies are proliferating at an exponential pace in a knowledge-driven economy where commercial ideas play a pivotal role in the global market, establishing support frameworks for creators' rights—while anchored in advancing good governance—will foster societal economic growth, as protecting idea-holders and knowledge-owners constitutes a fundamental right essential to every proprietor; preserving privacy and human dignity is vital for maintaining societal relationships and the rule of law, forming the foundation of a dynamic society geared toward enhancing political, economic, and administrative authority. Idea-holders and intellectual property owners persistently seek to protect the fruits of their thought through available means; the exponential growth of science and the evolution of asset categories have transformed preservation methods for such assets, such that traditional approaches cannot sufficiently achieve this goal for enhanced rule of lawand transparency; thus, more efficient technology-based solutions must be pursued. Findings indicate that leveraging emerging technologies like blockchain and tools such as tokens can address idea-holders' challenges by preserving ideas while pioneering novel methods for proving proprietary rights, thereby further contributing to good governance.

Dmytro Murach

У статті досліджено виклики та перспективи, які несе із собою впровадження технології NFT (невзаємозамінних токенів) у сферу інтелектуальної власності. Автор аналізує вплив Четвертої індустріальної революції на актуалізацію потреби в оновленні правового регулювання у цифровому середовищі. Приділена певна увага проблемам піратства, контрафакції, а також труднощам у доведенні авторства у кіберпросторі. У цьому контексті NFT розглядається як [...]Читати далі... from Non-fungible token (NFT): Виклики та перспективи для інтелектуальної власності

Robert Walters

The tokenisation of the economy is challenging the law pertaining to intellectual property (IP) rights. This chapter specifically focuses on the patent and copyright laws of the jurisdictions compared. It will demonstrate how there are many challenges and benefits from the application of IP rights by means of tokens operating on a blockchain-distributed ledger. However, this is an area of technology the law is far from settled. For instance, tokens can be used to partially or fully establish an IP right. Thus, the tokenisation process can go some way to securing the IP assets themselves that are licenced. Similarly, blockchain technology and tokens are transforming copyright law. This chapter will make mention of China, but only for the purpose of comparing copyright law.

Kalangi Praveen Kumar, B. J. Reddy, V. Asha Judi

Non-Fungible Tokens(NFTS) and innovative technology for representing ownership and authenticity of digital assets.This abstract explores the concept of utilizing NFTs for patenting one's own products, providing a secure and decentralized method of establishing intellectual property rights.NFTs are stored on the blockchain, which is a secure and decentralized database.This means that NFTs are tamper-proof and cannot be copied or duplicated.Patenting your own product ideas using NFTs is a great way to protect your intellectual property.By creating an NFT for your product idea, you are creating a digital record of your ownership.Additionally, NFTs can be used to track the history of your product idea, which can be helpful for marketing and sales purposes.If you are interested in patenting your own product ideas using NFTs, there are a few things you need to do.First, you need to create an NFT.This can be done through a variety of platforms, Once you have created an NFT, you need to register it with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).The proposed approach involves creating NFTs that represent the patent documentation including descriptions, diagrams, and claims, of a particular product or invention.These NFTs can be stored on a ensuring, the immutability, transparency, and traceability of the patent information.

Jing Xu

The rapid expansion of the digital economy heightens the need for privacy and trust in intellectual property transactions. Traditional centralised approaches to identifying legal conflicts in intellectual property contracts are prone to data leakage and fail to balance transparency with confidentiality. This paper proposes a self-identification method for legal conflicts in intellectual property contracts using zero-knowledge proofs. By combining a light gradient boosting machine learning model with the zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive argument of knowledge protocol, our approach allows verifiable detection of potential legal conflicts without revealing sensitive information. Experiments on the US patent and trademark office patent dataset demonstrate that the method achieves high performance in conflict prediction (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.872) and verification efficiency (<10 ms), providing a novel and practical framework for privacy-aware legal technology.

Ruiyu Hu, Zemenghong Bao, Juncheng Jia, Kun Lv

In recent years, propelled by societal transformations and technological advancements, emerging technologies founded upon diverse disciplines such as financial and information technology have rapidly evolved. Identifying the trends associated with these emerging technologies and extracting their salient topics is crucial in order to accurately grasp the developmental trajectory of these tools and for their efficient utilization. In this study, we chronologically categorize information derived from five types of multi-source data, including journal articles, patent inventions, and industry reports, into distinct periods. We employ the LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) topic model to identify emerging technological themes within these periods and utilize a dual-index theme lifecycle analysis method to construct a hotspot theme distribution map, thereby facilitating the extraction of significant themes. Through empirical research on blockchain financial technology, we ultimately identify 22 thematic areas of blockchain finance and extracted eight prominent themes, including financial technology, cross-border payments, digital invoices, supply chain finance, and decentralization. By analyzing these themes alongside their respective popularity levels, we validate that the methods above can be used to effectively identify emerging technological hotspots and illuminate their developmental directions.

Vishnu Periyannan Palaniappan, Palaniappan Sellappan, Kavitha Shanmugam

In the recent times, non-fungible tokens (NFT's) attracted greater attention as an innovative blockchain based business service. This research study is intended to provide a comprehensive analysis of this new business service and tries to portray its impact on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs). Through a study of different cases, technical implementations and market dynamics, this research study explores the potential revolution of NFTs in digital ownership provenance tracking and decentralized trading. Also, this study analyzes whether NFT is scalable and the challenges and opportunities lie in each of these directions. This study is based on the analysis of published literature and empirical evidence, and provide a more systematic understanding and forecast of the present NFTs. It concludes that NFTs will not only continue to grow but will also have a significant impact on all traditional IPR based business ranging from auction houses to online gaming companies.

Emilie Idrovo, Lilia Stefanía Aguilar Medina

Los sistemas tecnológicos y judiciales han revolucionado por los Non-Fungible Tokens (en adelante NFTs por sus siglas en inglés). Características como la infungibilidad y uso de blockchain, crean tensiones jurídicas entre NFT y los derechos de autor. Entre los dilemas jurídicos están las crecientes incerti- dumbres sobre los activos digitales que pueden ser protegidos, la propiedad del contenido y la cesión de derechos de autor. Este estudio se centra en la ley de derechos de autor ecuatoriana y desafíos a los que se enfrenta cuando los NFT entran al mercado. Este artículo responde a la pregunta sobre la adecuación de las leyes de derechos de autor de Ecuador y normas conexas para el manejo de las controversias sobre NFT. Analiza el impacto que tiene sobre el token digital y sus derechos de autor entre compradores y vendedores, además de los reglamentos de las plataformas que emiten y comercializan tokens digitales. Examina los derechos del creador, así como los derechos de los compradores, y cómo afectan a los derechos de autor. Por último, se concluye que, si bien la ley ecuatoriana no regula directamente los NFT, es posible regular sus contro- versias mediante artículos conexos e integración de otras normas.

Runhua Wang, Jyh‐An Lee, Jingwen Liu

Abstract Amid the surge of intellectual property (IP) disputes surrounding non‐fungible tokens (NFTs), some scholars have advocated for the application of personal property or sales law to regulate NFT minting and transactions, contending that IP laws unduly hinder the development of the NFT market. This Article counters these proposals and argues that the existing IP system stands as the most suitable regulatory framework for governing the evolving NFT market. Compared to personal property or sales law, IP laws can more effectively address challenges such as tragedies of the commons and anticommons in the NFT market. NFT communities have also developed their own norms and licensing agreements upon existing IP laws to regulate shared resources. Moreover, the IP regimes, with both static and dynamic institutional designs, can effectively balance various policy concerns, such as innovation, fair competition, and consumer protection, which alternative proposals struggle to provide.

Oliver Gassmann, Martin A. Bader

No abstract is available for this record.

wonguk lee, Euiseok Kim

No abstract is available for this record.

Christos Makridis, Joshua Ammons

Abstract The emergence of large language models (LLMs) has made it increasingly difficult to protect and enforce intellectual property (IP) rights in a digital landscape where content can be easily accessed and utilized without clear authorization. First, we explain why LLMs make it uniquely difficult to protect and enforce IP, creating a ‘tragedy of the commons.’ Second, drawing on theories of polycentric governance, we argue that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) could be effective tools for addressing the complexities of digital IP rights. Third, we provide an illustrative case study that shows how NFTs can facilitate dispute resolution of IP on the blockchain.

Jelena Laketić

Blockchain technology supporting cryptocurrency transactions is one of the most critical innovations of this decade. Establishing a legal identity on blockchain, however, is fraught with uncertainty. In the 1990s, the internet faced a similar set of issues, which were resolved through the ICANN dispute resolution system. This Article asserts that blockchain technology urgently needs a similar cohesive approach to NFT domains. This Article will explore trademark issues with non-fungible tokens (NFTs), specifically NFT domains. It begins by exploring the fundamental structure of NFTs by demystifying the technology and showing how NFTs contrast with other currency regimes. Increased usage of NFTs has created novel intellectual property law issues. This Article then examines the history of unauthorized registration and use of domains identical or similar to trademarks, known as cybersquatting. Understanding the historical evolution of the internet domain name system is a crucial step in comprehending the risks associated with NFT domains disputes. Traditional internet domain names are ultimately managed and overseen by a centralized authority, ICANN, which is a private nonprofit organization that sets the policy for the global Domain Name System. Unlike internet domain names, where ICANN developed a Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy and collision occurrence management framework, NFT domains have the potential to create domain collisions, both between extensions on the blockchain and with conventional domain name extensions. As the blockchain ecosystem continues to grow, its unregulated nature may increase the number of disputes and stoke mistrust in the system. This Article will compare two principal naming standards, centralized and decentralized. Despite the challenges of coordination in the decentralized world of blockchain, I argue that in the absence of law regulations, an effective system of governance is possible through self-regulatory organizations. Given the specific characteristics of the blockchain environment, I propose to establish a specialized blockchain entity, a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO), that would deal with the governance of NFT domains and disputes relating to their collisions and those arising from their intersection with trademarks.