Blockchain technology could ‘revolutionise’ copyright offices, says law professor

A Texas A&M University School of Law professor recently published research on the use of blockchain technology in the world of copyright management. According to their findings, blockchain has the potential to transform intellectual property management “both domestically and globally.”

Dr. Peter Yu, professor of law and communication and director of the Texas A&M University Law Center's School of Law and Intellectual Property and sole author of the paper, asserts that blockchain's immutability makes it a prime candidate for integration with intellectual property. System.

According to the paper:

“With a blockchain, once a transaction is recorded, it is almost impossible to change that record. If the transaction is recorded incorrectly, a new transaction must be posted to the blockchain to make a correction. The technology is very attractive for recording copyrights, storing patent rights and licensing records, or completing other similar tasks.

In particular, Dr. Yu went on to explain the copyright system as a way for people to determine the status of a particular record, such as whether the copyright is in the public domain or whether it is an orphan.

Other benefits, according to the study, include traceability, transparency and separation.

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Traceability is defined in the paper as the ability to trace the entire life cycle of a registration in the Copyright Register from its inception. Making that information available to the public through a blockchain browser or similar mechanism provides an additional layer of transparency not available with traditional server-based records systems.

A final benefit discussed in Dr. Yu's paper involves decentralization, the ability of the blockchain to operate independently of a governing body.

In the paper, “Without reliance on trusted intermediaries such as governments, banks or clearing houses, the technology supports international cooperation even without the involvement or support of governments or intergovernmental bodies.”

Dr. Yu speculates that these benefits could lead to an artist/business-driven copyright system where intellectual property is registered and the arbitration process is independent of the state.