METHOD TO SECURELY ESTABLISH, AFFIRM, AND TRANSFER OWNERSHIP OF ARTWORKS

• US 20160203572A1
• Filed: 08/21/2014
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BigchainDB GmbH
• Original Assignee: Ascribe GmbH
• Inventors: MCCONAGHY, Trent Lorne, MCCONAGHY, Maria
• Application Number:
  US14/913,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20160203572A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1062 Editing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/065 using e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/38215 Use of certificates or encrypted proofs of transaction rights
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3827 Use of message hashing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3829 involving key management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

A method for establishing, confirming, and transferring ownership of digital artworks. The method associates a given artwork to a unique public ID and to an online service. The owner of the artwork is the person who has full access to the online service at the public ID. Confirming ownership of the artwork includes the owner performing an action that demonstrates the owner has full access to the online service at the public ID. Transferring ownership of the artwork includes (1) transferring access to the account itself, or (2) using the online service'"'"'s transfer protocol, which may also update the public ID associated with the owner of the artwork.

Claims

1. A method of dealing with a digital artwork, the method comprising:

processing the digital artwork with a cryptographic hash function to obtain an artwork digest, the artwork digest being in a format of a cryptocurrency online service address and constituting an artwork digest address;

generating a public address and a private key of the public address for the cryptocurrency online service; and

effecting, in a single transaction, a transfer of cryptocurrency to the public address and to the artwork digest address, a public electronic ledger to display the single transaction that transferred the cryptocurrency to the public address and to the artwork digest address, the single transaction displayed in the electronic ledger to establish that the public address is associated with the artwork digest.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising affirming ownership of the digital artwork by performing, from the public address, an affirmation transaction, the electronic ledger to display the affirmation transaction.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the affirmation transaction includes sending a cryptocurrency amount from the public address to the public address.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the public address is an original address, the method further comprising transferring ownership of the digital artwork by transferring cryptocurrency from the original public address to a recipient public address.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein transferring cryptocurrency from the original public address to the recipient public address is the first transfer of cryptocurrency from the original public address to any address.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising transferring ownership of the digital artwork by transferring cryptocurrency from the recipient public address to a subsequent public address.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein transferring cryptocurrency from the original public address to a recipient public address is preceded by generating the recipient public address.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein generating the recipient public address is followed by providing the recipient public address to an owner of the original public address.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the cryptographic hash function is SHA-256.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the cryptocurrency is the bitcoin and the electronic ledger is the Bitcoin blockchain.

11. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having recorded thereon instructions to be carried out by a computer to perform a method of dealing with a digital artwork as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A method of dealing with an artwork, the method comprising:

generating an account at an online service, generating the account including generating a passcode for the account; and

associating, to the artwork, the online service and the account of the online service, the artwork being owned by a keeper of the passcode.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein associating includes marking the artwork with the name of the online service and the account of the online service.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein marking includes inscribing, on the artwork, the name of the online service and the account of the online service.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein marking includes watermarking the artwork with the name of the online service and the account of the online service.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein associating includes:

displaying the artwork; and

displaying, next to the artwork, the name of the online service and the account of the online service.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the artwork is a digital artwork and displaying the artwork and displaying, next to the artwork, the name of the online service and the account of the online service, is effected through a website.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein associating, to the artwork, an online service and an account of the online service is preceded by opening the account for the online service.

19. The method of claim 12 further comprising accessing the account using the passcode and affirming ownership of the artwork by performing, from within the account, an action that is detectable outside the account.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein:

the online service is an email service and the account is an email account, and

affirming ownership of the artwork includes sending an email from the email account to another email account.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein:

the online service is a cryptocurrency service and the account is a first cryptocurrency service account,

affirming ownership of the artwork includes, in a transaction, sending an amount of cryptocurrency from the first cryptocurrency service account to a second cryptocurrency service account, and

a public electronic ledger records the transaction.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein:

the online service is a cryptocurrency service and the account is a first cryptocurrency service account,

affirming ownership of the artwork includes, in a transaction, sending an amount of cryptocurrency from the first cryptocurrency service account to the first cryptocurrency service account, and

a public electronic ledger records the transaction.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein:

the online service is a blogging service and the account is a blogging service account, and

affirming ownership of the artwork includes posting a blog entry from the blogging service account.

24. The method of claim 12 further comprising transferring ownership of the artwork to a person by providing the passcode to the person.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising, subsequent the passcode being provided to the person, the person modifying the passcode.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 25 further comprising transferring ownership of the artwork to a person by providing the passcode to the person.

34. The method of claim 27 further comprising, subsequent the passcode being provided to the person, the person modifying the passcode.

26. A computer-implemented method of dealing with an artwork, the method comprising:

at an online service, generating an account, generating the account including assigning a passcode to the account;

transforming the artwork by marking the artwork with the name of the online service and the account of the online service, the artwork being owned by a keeper of the passcode; and

affirming ownership of the artwork by performing, from within the account, an action that is detectable outside the account.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein:

the online service is a cryptocurrency service and the account is a first cryptocurrency service account,

affirming ownership of the artwork includes, in a transaction, sending cryptocurrency from the first cryptocurrency service account to a second cryptocurrency service account, and

a public electronic ledger records the transaction.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein:

the online service is a cryptocurrency service and the account is a first cryptocurrency service account,

affirming ownership of the artwork includes, in a transaction, sending cryptocurrency from the first cryptocurrency service account to the first cryptocurrency service account, and

a public electronic ledger records the transaction.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein marking includes inscribing, on the artwork, the name of the online service and the account of the online service.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein marking includes watermarking the artwork with the name of the online service and the account of the online service.

32. The method of claim 26 wherein:

the online service is an email service and the account is an email account, and

affirming ownership of the artwork includes sending an email from the email account to another email account.

33. The method of claim 26 wherein:

the online service is a blogging service and the account is a blogging service account, and

affirming ownership of the artwork includes posting a blog entry from the blogging service account.