Primary source: ZDnet 08.19.2016. Secondary source: Econotimes 08.19.2016.

Sydney-based startup, Veredictum, is providing proof-of-ownership for scripts by storing a hash of the file on a blockchain. (If you aren’t familiar with hashes, I explain them here). While it does not provide a comprehensive solution to idea theft, Veredictum could provide compelling proof in litigation because it records who opened a script and when on a blockchain.

Idea theft is a niche area of law related to copyright that was largely developed by Hollywood cases, from Blaustein v. Burton to Forest Park Pictures v. Universal. These are also known as “idea submissions” cases.

The typical case involves a starving writer seeking her big break in Hollywood who pitches her latest and greatest to a studio. The studio passes, but later produces a series or picture that sounds a lot like that writer’s idea. Enter: lawsuit. The writer might argue her idea was copyrighted and therefore the studio infringed her copyright, as in Forest Park, or that the studio entered an implied contract to pay for her idea if they produced it, as in Blaustein.

Under a copyright theory, proof that the studio opened the script could be quite helpful because one of the things a plaintiff has to prove is copying-in-fact; that is, the person they are suing actually copied their work. Of course, it remains to be seen whether blockchain-based evidence will hold up in court.

On the distribution front, Veredictum CEO Tim Lea alludes to creating a peer-to-peer network for video, where each video is watermarked with the information about it that company recorded on a blockchain. It will be interesting to see how it shapes up – and what blockchain they are using.