The Copyright Hub releases one of the 90+ projects it has in the pipeline: Clixta, a photo sharing app that uses Hub technology.

SOURCES: The Register. Date: 05.05.16. BBC. Date: 05.04.16.

It’s pretty new, but sounds to me like Clixta lets users control how and with whom they share photos, all while retaining the metadata through the use of a digital identifier, or “hub key”.

Metadata is important for maintaining the link between the person who created the photo, the terms they want it used on, and the photo itself. These data points often get separated when we repost using traditional social media sites, causing authors’ to lose control over their creative work. Mediachain has a stellar explanation of this with a viral David Bowie GIF.

It’s interesting that the Copyright Hub doesn’t “have any ideology about how copyright should be used other than it should work well, whether for commercial, educational, non-commercial or other goals”.

It’ll be fun to see which direction users take Clixta. I’m down with CH’s open and practical approach. After all, blockchain is giving us opportunities to try new ways of doing things, and see what we works better.

From a legal perspective, I think the U.S. Copyright law more directly supports an app like Clixta than UK copyright law, which is traditionally rooted in commercial utility. For reference, the purpose for copyright law in the U.S. is found in Art. I. Sec. 8 Cl. 8 of the U.S. Constitution: to “promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors […] the exclusive Right to their respective Writings…”.

Big ups to the Copyright Hub and Clixta! Can’t wait to see what app CH will release next.

Did you download the app? What do you think?